Suspected Boko Haram militants on Tuesday burned down houses, including the family home of the new Chief of Army Staff, Major-General Tukur Baratai, in a village in the North-east of the country, a policeman, military source and witnesses told Reuters.
At least two people were killed and eight injured in Buratai, Borno State, a resident, Adamu Talba and the military source said, but General Baratai was not present at the time of the attack in the early hours of Tuesday.
Boko Haram has waged a deadly campaign to carve out a state adhering to strict Islamic law in Nigeria’s North-east for the past six years.
After being pushed out of most of the territory they gained earlier this year, the group scattered and returned to attacking soft targets.
President Muhammadu Buhari has made ending the insurgency his priority and discussed how to tackle it during his first trip to Washington to meet President Barack Obama.
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