Nigeria: Boko Haram gunmen hide weapons in coffin, kill 13

GlobalPost

Extremist gunmen hid their weapons inside a coffin before opening fire, killing 13 people in turbulent northeast Nigeria.

Friday's attack in Maiduguri appeared to be in retaliation for a local vigilante group identifying members of the Boko Haram network to the military, The Associated Press reported.

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Among the dead was a middle aged woman known as Hajia Ummu and her 70-year-old mother, The Premium newspaper reported.

Eight Boko Haram fighters were killed in the attack.

Police shot and killed another eight Boko Haram members in a gunfight in Maiduguri on Thursday, a security official told the AP.

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A Premium Times reporter saw the eight decomposing corpses in a ditch in the city.

President Goodluck Jonathan gave security control to the military when he declared a state of emergency in the states of Yobe, Borno and Adamawa, where Boko Haram has been most active.

More than 2,000 people have been killed since the militant group, whose name means "Western education is forbidden," started its offensive in 2009 to overthrow the Nigerian government and create an Islamic state.

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