50 bodies found after Nigeria violence, say residents

Residents of a town attacked by Boko Haram said at least 50 bodies have been recovered, many horribly burned, and they criticized security forces for failing to prevent the attack even though they had been warned that the Islamic militants were nearby.

The attack on Gamboru town, in remote northeastern Borno state near the border with Cameroon, happened Monday.

The death toll was initially reported by a senator to be as many as 300, but a security official said it is more likely to be around 100. The attack happened in the same state, Borno, where Boko Haram kidnapped more than 300 girls from a school last month. Most of those girls remain in captivity, believed to be in the vast Sambisa forest.

Some Gamboru residents said bodies were recovered from the debris of burned shops after the town's main market came under attack on Monday afternoon.

Gamboru resident Abuwar Masta said the bodies were found after the market reopened on Wednesday as health workers, volunteers and traders searched for missing people. He said most of the bodies were burned beyond recognition.

"It seems they hid in the shops in order not be killed while fleeing," Masta said. "Unfortunately, several explosives were thrown into the market."

Masta and other traders said that some villagers had warned the security forces of an impending attack after insurgents were seen camping in the bushes near Gamboru.

The kidnapping of the schoolgirls on April 15 in the town of Chibok as well as Boko Haram's repeated attacks have sparked accusations that the Nigerian government is not doing enough to stop the militants.