Deaths up to 142 in Borno Attack - Troops Ran Out of Ammunition - Army General

The death toll from last week's attack in Borno State that saw insurgents dressed as soldiers, set up checkpoints and gun down travellers on a highway, has risen to, at least, 142.

Abdulaziz Kolomi, an official with the Environmental Protection Agency in the state said, yesterday, that "we recovered 55 bodies on Wednesday and 87 on Thursday". The previous toll from the attack late Tuesday in the Benisheik area was 87.

The insurgents, suspected to be from Islamist extremist group, Boko Haram, also burnt scores of homes and buildings in the assault and left corpses littering the roadside.

The motivation behind the assault was not immediately clear, but Boko Haram members have repeatedly carried out revenge attacks against residents over the emergence of vigilante groups that have been formed to assist the military.

Army General Mohammed Yusuf, who briefed the state governor, Alhaji Kassim Shettima on the attack, said troops ran out of ammunition while combating the assault, adding that the insurgents were armed with "anti-aircraft guns."