This came as President Goodluck Jonathan said in Lagos, yesterday, that the security challenges facing the country would have been worse without prayers from religious groups across the country.
It has also emerged that the Federal Government may be under pressure to open fresh negotiations with the terrorist group.
Aside the weekend attacks, investigations by Vanguard showed that the Boko Haram terrorists had killed over 200 people within the last few weeks as well as inflicting severe wounds on residents who lost property worth billions of naira in Konduga, Gwoza and Kukawa council areas of Borno State.
Vanguard gathered from reliable sources that the attack in Baga village bordering the Chad Republic Friday evening, claimed 10 lives. While in Izge, according to Ali Ndume, 106 people were killed.
"So far, from information I have received from Izge, 106 people, including an old woman, have been killed by the attackers, suspected to be Boko Haram gunmen," Ndume said.
On the Baga incident, sources said that the gunmen numbering over 100 invaded the village at about 7pm with sophisticated weapons, including Improvised Explosive Devices, IED's, and wreaked havoc on innocent citizens before fleeing without being arrested.
A resident, Mallam Ali Yakubu said the gunmen succeeded in killing several people after dislodging some security operatives in the area. He added that the gunmen arrived in Toyota Hilux and several other vehicles and motorcycles while dressed in military camouflage, chanting Allahu Akbar (God is great) and shot at anyone on sight before setting houses ablaze.
"As I am talking to you now, all the dead bodies are still lying on the streets as we can't get the opportunity of burying them because of fear that the terrorists were still around in the nearby bushes of Izge.
"I thank God for sparing my life yesterday, because I thought my days in this world were over when we started hearing sounds of gunshots and explosions all over Izge in the night. God really had mercy on me. We ran into the bush without being hurt by the insurgents, although, I lost all my belongings,'' he added.
Other witnesses described how the attackers had arrived on Sunday morning in trucks and motorcycles. They asked the men in the village to gather, and then they hacked and shot them to death.
The Police Commissioner, Mr. Lawal Tanko confirmed the incidents in a telephone interview with Vanguard, when contacted yesterday.
Sources told Vanguard that the Nigerian troops who were circumspect that the Boko Haram insurgents were better equipped than they had resorted to playing safe to avoid being killed in the war against terror.
The sources who confided in Vanguard gave example with last week's killing of nine soldiers in a border village of Izge in Adamawa State.
The source said that the Boko Haram insurgents travelled from the Sambisa Forest which was over 50 kilometres away from where the troops were stationed to launch the attack on them.
"They arrived Izge in two Armoured Personnel Carriers, APCs, among other heavy military hardware without hindrance. Although the Nigerian troops fought gallantly and killed some of the Boko Haram terrorists, including the 'gunner' in one of the armoured vehicles but the attackers re-grouped and came back the second time and killed the troops as well as wounding one of the officers due to lack of reinforcement.
"Apart from the two APCs, the terrorists came with several other vehicles which enabled them to escape after inflicting such casualties on us. They were even able to carry away their dead or wounded colleagues.
"It is a known fact that the Boko Haram terrorists have their cells at Sambisa Forest, where they get logistics supply from helicopters that fly to the forest from time to time."
On Wednesday, the air force began daily aerial bombardments near Izge of extremist hideouts in the Sambisa Forest along the border with Cameroon. Soldiers moved in on foot following the bombing and at least nine troops and several militants were killed in a fierce hours-long battle, according to hospital and military sources.
After that attack, Ularamu urged the military to deploy more troops, saying the soldiers are outnumbered and outgunned by militants armed with anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons as well as armored cars looted during attacks. Dozens more soldiers were stationed in recent days in Madagali town, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the scene of Saturday's attack.
Via: ABCNews / Reuters / BBC News / Vanguard
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