18 Nigerian loggers killed in jihadist attack

Boko Haram jihadists have killed 18 loggers in northeast Nigerian Borno state, local sources told AFP Thursday, as people displaced by jihadists struggle to feed their families amid worsening attacks.

Boko Haram and its rival Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) splinter group have increasingly targeted loggers, farmers, fishermen, herders and metal scrap collectors in the region, accusing them of spying on them and passing information to the military.

According to the sources, Boko Haram fighters on motorcycles rounded up a group of loggers who had gone into the bush outside the village of Abaram in the Bama district on Wednesday and opened fire on them.

"We recovered 11 bodies yesterday and seven more today, making a total of 18 killed in the attack," Ibrahim Liman, a member of an anti-jihadist militia assisting the military, said.

"Initially, we thought only 11 were killed but when others did not show up this morning a search was launched and seven more bodies were found in the bush," Liman added.

All the victims had gunshot wounds on them, according to Bukar Ibrahim, a resident of the town of Bama, who gave the same toll. The seven victims found on Thursday were pursued into the bush by the assailants as they tried to flee and shot, which made it difficult to trace them, Ibrahim said.

Tens of thousands have been killed and millions displaced in the 17-year-old insurgency. Most of the displaced lived in makeshift camps, relying on food handouts from international charities.

But with the drying up of aid due to funding cuts, the displaced have been left to fend for themselves. To raise money to feed their families, some have taken to felling the scanty vegetation for wood to sell as fuel.