Terrorists believed to be members of Boko Haram went on rampage yesterday in their Borno State stronghold in Nigeria’s North-East, destroying property and wasting precious lives.

At least 20 people were reported dead when the terrorists, bearing sophisticated weapons, attacked schools, hospitals and residential houses in Gajiram, headquarters of Nganzai Local Government Area and Bulabulin Ngawra village in Konduga LGA, about 73 kilometres and 45km away respectively from Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

Numbering about 40 and armed with Ak47 rifles, the terrorists killed no fewer than 15 in an ambush in Gajiram. They also laid ambush to the Damboa-Maiduguri road, killing at least another five people, according to reports.

An eyewitness was quoted as saying: “The Boko Haram sect members attacked Bullabulin Ngawra in the early hours of today and killed five people. I believe that they attacked us because of how our volunteers have succeeded in curtailing their atrocities in our area.”

Another source, a Maiduguri resident, told reporters: “We saw two Hilux patrol vehicles of the military conveying bodies and the injured heading towards University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), but we could not ascertain whether they were victims of the latest attack in Nganzai or Bullabulin Ngawra.”

Though Nigerian troops have dislodged Boko Haram from their known camps following the imposition of emergency rule in Borno, Yobe and Taraba states, the terrorists still manage to beat the heavy security cordon, especially in Borno, to occasionally launch deadly attacks mainly in isolated villages.

•Photo shows Nigerian troops hunting Boko Haram members in Borno.