Up to 150 drown, shot fleeing Boko Haram ambush in Nigeria: villagers

1	Up to 150 people have drowned in a river or been shot dead fleeing Boko Haram gunmen who raided a remote village in Nigeria's north-eastern Yobe state, locals say.
2	Dozens of militants arrived on motorcycles and a car on Thursday last week and opened fire, scattering terrified residents of Kukuwa-Gari.
3	News of the attack was slow to emerge because the militants have destroyed telecom masts around the village since the insurgency began in 2009.
4	"They opened fire instantly, which forced residents to flee," Modu Balumi, a resident of the village, said.
5	"They shot a number of people. Unfortunately many residents who tried to flee plunged into the river which is full from the rain. Many drowned.
6	"By our latest toll we have 150 people either [shot dead] or drowned in the attack.
7	"The gunmen deliberately killed a fisherman who tried to save drowning residents of the village."
8	Mr Balumi said the bodies of many of the drowned were picked out by locals several kilometres away.
9	"Most of the victims died in the river while trying to escape," Bukar Tijjani, another villager, said.
10	"Most residents, particularly women and children, ran towards the river in confusion.
11	"They were pursued by the gunmen, who kept firing at them."
12	A local government official confirmed the attack but put the death toll much lower, at around 50.
13	The village - about 50 kilometres from Yobe State capital Damaturu - was still reeling from a raid by suspected Boko Haram militants on July 31 when at least 10 people were killed by gunmen who burned homes, food silos and livestock.
14	Nigeria's new leader, who came to power on May 29 vowing to destroy Boko Haram, replaced his military chiefs last week, ordering them to end the insurgency within three months.