Kano: At least seven people were shot dead when suspected members of a radical Islamist sect opened fire on a crowded market in northeast Nigeria Wednesday in an area protected by federal troops, media reported on Wednesday.
According to reports the shooting happened in Maiduguri, the spiritual home of the sect known as Boko Haram. The area has been under increased military protection for months in an attempt to stop violence.
While the military immediately sought to downplay the attack, it showed the ability of the sect to strike at will, despite assurances from Nigeria’s weak central government that it will put down the growing insurgency.
The attack appeared to target Christian Igbo traders who work in Maiduguri’s central market. The gunmen first shot an electronics salesman before heading into the rest of the market, where they attacked other Igbos who sell mosquito nets and other wares, witnesses said.
Soldiers who stood guard nearby fired wildly in the air to disperse civilians, but were unable to stop the escaping gunmen.
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