Islamist terror group Boko Haram reportedly burned down an entire Nigerian village on Wednesday, killing an estimated 2,000 people.
An official told the BBC that countless bodies lay motionless in the street. Senior Nigerian government official, Maina Maaji Lawan, said that the town Boko Haram had raided, one that had an estimated population of 10,000, now became “virtually non-existent.” “It has been burnt down,” he added.
Boko Haram killed an estimated 2,000 last year in its jihad to expand its self-declared Islamic caliphate in northern Nigeria, an area with a heavy Muslim population.
If reports are accurate, Boko Haram has just overtaken its 2014 death toll in one day.
The mass slaughter comes after Boko Haram overtook a government military base on Saturday. It is believed that the jihadists launched their attack on the village from the recently-overtaken base. The barracks previously hosted the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF), which hosts soldiers from the governments of Nigeria, Chad, and Niger.
A senior government official told AFP that the group razed at least sixteen towns within the past week. “They burnt to the ground all the 16 towns and villages including Baga, Dorn-Baga, Mile 4, Mile 3, Kauyen Kuros and Bunduram,” said local official Musa Bukar to AFP
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has responded to the attacks by declaring a national State of Emergency, and promising to defeat the terror group.
It is now believed that Boko Haram controls up to six times more territory than the Islamic State terror group. Boko Haram rules an estimated 70,000 square miles in northern Nigeria.
Within the last week, Boko Haram has kidnapped hundreds, killed dozens (excluding today’s death toll), and destroyed countless amounts of private property.