Suspected Islamic militants attacked a wedding convoy in northeast Nigeria over the weekend, the latest in a storm of violence in the region as government troops battle religious extremists bent on turning Africa's most populous nation into an Islamic state.
Authorities yesterday gave conflicting accounts of the death toll, however ranging from five to as many as 30, including the groom.
The attack took place Saturday on the highway between Gama and Gwoza towns in Borno state, military spokesman Lt. Col. Muhammed Dole said. That road runs alongside forests that are a known hideout of Islamic extremists from the Boko Haram network.
Dole put the death toll at five. However, Adamawa state spokesman Ahmad Sajoh said more than 30 people, including the groom, were killed. He did not explain where his information came from, but noted that the groom and his guests were from Adamawa, which neighbours Borno state, and had been driving home.
Meanwhile, a minibus taxi driver said he passed many bodies on the road near Firgi village in Borno, where the wedding ceremony was held. Firgi is near the border with Adamawa state.
"We saw a lot of dead bodies killed by gunshots and some by the roadside that appeared to have been slaughtered" with their throats slit, the driver, who asked to be identified only as Shaibu, told reporters yesterday in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state. He did not say the exact number of bodies he saw.
Shaibu said his terrified passengers wanted to turn back, but "I took the risk ... And said God is in control."
Boko Haram is leading an uprising aimed at installing an Islamic state in Nigeria, possibly the greatest threat in decades to the cohesion of the West African country.
Nigeria is Africa's biggest oil producer. Its population of more than 160 million people is divided almost equally between the mainly Muslim north and the predominantly Christian south.
Last week, suspected extremists attacked a military checkpoint in the same area, and witnesses said they killed at least four security force members and made off with army vehicles, weapons and ammunition. The Nigerian military never confirmed nor denied that report.
The military is still battling the Islamic extremists more than five months after the government declared a state of emergency and flooded three states that cover one-sixth of the country with troops and police officers.
The security forces have driven the insurgents from major towns and attacked bush camps with aerial bombardments and ground assaults. Hundreds of combatants and civilians, mainly Muslims, have died in recent weeks.
