A traditional ruler in Borno State was on Tuesday night killed by gunmen believed to be members of the Boko Haram terrorist group.
The gunmen, eye witnesses said, laid siege to the palace of the district head of Lawanti ward in Bale, in Southern Borno, Baba Zarabe, late Tuesday night and shot him at close range the head and the chest.
Some 165 kilometres south of Maiduguri, the state capital, Bale is in Damboa local government area.
The gunmen reportedly came to the palace of the district head in two Golf Volkswagen cars and two motorcycles wielding guns and demanding to see him.
While the gunmen waited, they shot indiscriminately in the air to scare people away and as soon as the traditional ruler showed up, they shot him several times in the head and chest.
After killing him, the gunmen were said to have chanted ” Allah is great” before speeding off in the cars and motorcycles.
Traditional rulers, for still unknown reasons, appear to be the new target of the Boko Haram sect. Last month, the district head of Pulka, Ali Pulka, was last month killed in his palace in a similar fashion.
Earlier, in December 2012 and January, gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram members killed three district heads in northern part of Borno in their palaces.
The Borno State Police Public relations officer, Gideon Jibrin confirmed the latest killing but said arrests had been made although investigation was had started on the incident.
Source: ICIR
