Boko Haram: Over 400 decomposing corpses discovered in Borno

Hundreds of people have been found dead in the northeast Nigerian town of Damasak, apparently victims of the Boko Haram insurgency, as details emerged on Monday of fresh attacks by the militants. Damasak local government spokesman Babagana Mustapha told CNN

We found hundreds of dead bodies in shallow graves and on the streets of Damasak during our visit," .Those bodies in shallow graves have badly decomposed while those found on the streets were desiccated from [exposure to] dry ‎winds,".

Abubakar Kyari, a senator-elect for the region said

The victims included men, women and children murdered by Boko Haram when they seized the area in November, The staggering number of dead bodies found in Damasak is a testimony of the large-scale atrocity Boko Haram committed when they were in control of the town" 

‎We collected over 400 corpses from the streets and in shallow graves during our visit in Damasak," said Idris Karimbe, one of the volunteers who took part in the burial. 

"The number of bodies we recovered this time around far exceeded the ones found last month," said another resident, Musa Bremah‎.Mohammed Sadiq, another local who helped in the burials on Saturday, put the death toll at more than 400 but the Borno state government did not state a precise figure, giving a toll of "hundreds".

The victims had been covered by sand from the encroaching desert, with the burial ordered by the state authorities.

Posted by Eme