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Children in Nigeria who have been internally displaced by Boko Haram attacks AP/Press Association Images

Islamic extremists Boko Haram have seized 40 men and boys

The attack occurred in the northeast of Nigeria on New Year’s Eve

SUSPECTED BOKO HARAM gunmen have kidnapped 40 boys and young men in a remote village in northeast Nigerian Borno state on New Year’s Eve, residents who fled the isolated settlement have said today.

Scores of Boko Haram militants stormed the Malari village around 8:00 pm and whisked away the males, aged between 10 and 23, into the nearby Sambisa forest, believed to be one of the Islamists’ major bases.

The news of the abductions came out only days later, after residents who fled the village arrived in the state capital Maiduguri late on Friday.

“They came in pick-up trucks armed with guns and gathered all the men in the village outside the home of the village chief where they preached to us before singling out 40 of our boys and taking them away,” Bulama Muhammad told AFP

Malari village lies 20 kilometres from the Sambisa forest and close to the town of Gwoza, which the militants captured last June declaring it part of their caliphate.

“My two sons and three nephews were among those taken away by the Boko Haram gunmen and we believe they are going to use them as conscripts,” Muhammad said.

‘We could be the next target’

“When we heard of the kidnap of 40 boys in Malari by Boko Haram we decided to leave because we could be the next target,” said Alaramma Babagoni, who fled from the nearby village of Mulgwi.

“Boko Haram has been abducting young men from villages in the area because we are close to their stronghold in Sambisa forest,” he said.

There was no immediate comment on the incident from the military in Maiduguri.

Residents of Malari and nearby villages fled, fearing further attacks and abductions.

Boko Haram has recently been seizing young men during raids on area villages to use as foot soldiers in its uprising aimed at establishing an Islamic state in northern Nigeria, residents said.

Suspected Boko Haram gunmen launched a deadly raid Tuesday on Kautikari village near Chibok, torched several buildings and killed as many as 15 people, according to witnesses.

There was no toll available from an official source on the raid.

Condemnation

Boko Haram is still holding in captivity more than 200 schoolgirls it abducted from their school in Chibok in Borno state last April.

The abduction drew worldwide condemnation, after which President Goodluck Jonathan vowed to secure the area, including by deploying more troops. But the promised troop numbers have failed to materialise, often leaving residents to rely entirely on vigilantes for protection.

The Islamists are believed to control large swathes of territory in Borno as well as several towns and villages in two other northeastern states, Adamawa and Yobe.

Boko Haram’s five-year uprising in Nigeria has claimed more than 13,000 lives and has seen dozens of people, including women and children, kidnapped by the Islamists.

- © AFP, 2014

Read: 120 killed, hundreds more injured — as suicide bombers target Nigeria mosque

Also: Suicide bomber disguised in school uniform kills 48 students at assembly

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    Mute cosmological
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    Jan 3rd 2015, 4:49 PM

    I’m peaceful minded but how do you deal with this other than overwhelming foce?

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    Mute big willy
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    Jan 3rd 2015, 4:54 PM

    Want to volunteer?

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    Mute Scipio
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    Jan 3rd 2015, 5:08 PM

    Sometimes there are no good options. Just the least worst option. And overwhelming military force is the least worst option when dealing jihadists like Boko Haram and ISIS.

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    Mute Gus Sheridan
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    Jan 3rd 2015, 5:08 PM

    They need to be tackled

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    Mute Frank
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    Jan 3rd 2015, 5:22 PM

    Schipo_That all sounds good in theory, but if the overwhelming military force shares the same political interests as the terrorist as it dose with ISIS in Syria it makes no sense whatsoever

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    Mute Didier dogma
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    Jan 3rd 2015, 5:39 PM

    The CIA have nominated ISIS, Al-Qaeda and Boko Haram for the ASL Ice Bucket Challenge.

    Or waterboarding, as it was once known.

    24
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    Mute Atticus the Accuser
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    Jan 3rd 2015, 4:55 PM

    These subhuman savages can’t be negotiated with!

    They didn’t use logic sense or reason in their warped ideology so what argument can be made to change their mind?

    Brutal overwhelming force is the only answer to these cowards.

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    Mute Paddy OConnor
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    Jan 3rd 2015, 7:09 PM

    @Atticus et al…
    They can be dealt with; but first we must know that Boko Haram,ISIS,Etc., are inspired to do just what their prophet Mohammed done in 7th.century Arabia,ie., rob,plunder,murder,behead,rape,enslave,etc.,etc.,etc. Then we will know what to do with them.
    To learn more about Mohammed I recommend Harry Richardson’s nifty little booklet available on Amazon for 6 Euros. Or can be read on line for free here.
    http://thestoryofmohammed.blogspot.com.au/?

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    Mute Atticus the Accuser
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    Jan 3rd 2015, 10:19 PM

    Paddy thanks but I’m aware of the nonsense of the alleged Prophet Mohammed and his winged horse which flew him to Heaven and split the moon in two and his propensity for 9year old wives.

    I don’t know how anyone can get morality or religious guidance from a paedophile with a pegasus!?!

    These extremists need to be eliminated without mercy because their sole focus is Global domination and will kill barbarically and indiscriminately.

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    Mute Antrim
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    Jan 3rd 2015, 5:02 PM

    The usual condemnation will follow but very little action.

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    Mute Silver Planet
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    Jan 3rd 2015, 6:47 PM

    Does Michelle Obama have it in her to look sad in another photograph?

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    Mute Antrim
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    Jan 3rd 2015, 6:58 PM

    Yeah I know, I wonder how sad she was looking when the camera wasn’t on her.

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    Mute mitch connors
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    Jan 3rd 2015, 5:19 PM

    How hard is it , with all the tech NATO have to go in & slaughter this Boko harem , send in a massive ground force & give them a license to kill .. No political correctness BS !!

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    Mute Frank
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    Jan 3rd 2015, 5:37 PM

    NATO thrives on terrorist organisations, why do you think the United States has been arming terrorists left right and center right across the Middle East. It gives NATA an excuse to act as world police when th sh**t hits the fan.

    Classic …Problem – Reaction – Solution.

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    Mute mitch connors
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    Jan 3rd 2015, 9:22 PM

    Suppose it makes sense , create a never ending war .. Re : isis .. Develop weapons to fight it while
    Secretly arming the opposite side . Good business if u think about it !!

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    Mute John Duncan
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    Jan 4th 2015, 9:35 AM

    Nigeria would have to ask for help to deal with the problem first.

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    Mute Gay Stepher
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    Jan 3rd 2015, 5:25 PM

    Until they seize people in europe or seize europeans in africa I dont think people are gona care

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    Mute Silver Planet
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    Jan 3rd 2015, 6:48 PM

    Well yeah, if EU citizens are abducted I expect the EU and their national government to act. That’s what we pay them for. If they were to impose action on an African nation “for their own good” they’d be accused of imperialism

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    Mute Gis Bayertz
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    Jan 3rd 2015, 4:56 PM

    They’re incredible idiots!

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    Mute The Snowball Effect
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    Jan 3rd 2015, 6:46 PM

    Imagine how much better the world would be if we just evacuated all the decent people from the middle east and then blew it up

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    Mute The Irish Ranger
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    Jan 4th 2015, 5:55 AM

    The middle east is a grand place. The problem is the people.

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    Mute inproperganda
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    Jan 4th 2015, 7:13 AM

    im sure that’s the kind of thing the brits said about the Irish during the 1980s bombing campaign

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    Mute John Duncan
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    Jan 4th 2015, 9:33 AM

    Nigeria isn’t in the middle east, It’s in Africa.

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    Mute Eamonn McAuley
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    Jan 3rd 2015, 5:25 PM

    Is drones or Russian robots could sort him surely

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    Mute Kustin J Crush
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    Jan 3rd 2015, 7:24 PM

    Many of them you boys may end up as child camel jockeys or sex slaves to the wealthy Arabs in the gulf, but we better not say that too loud, don’t want to upset put our exports in jeopardy!

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    Mute fact&ionlydealinfact
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    Jan 3rd 2015, 5:59 PM

    Nigeria’s problem, let them sort it out. No other Countries business.

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    Mute ptriley
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    Jan 3rd 2015, 7:12 PM

    Nuke the Sambisa forest and kill them all

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    Mute Dan The Man
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    Jan 3rd 2015, 6:42 PM

    Spoken like a true humanitarian

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    Mute shane murphy
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    Jan 3rd 2015, 7:04 PM

    My god the cia are on a savage recruitment drive!

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    Mute David Thomas
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    Jan 3rd 2015, 8:00 PM

    Maybe they misheard 14 virgins!

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