Boko Haram ambush death toll hits 69..

At least 69 people are known to have died in a Boko Haram ambush of an oil exploration team in northeast Nigeria , as three men kidnapped by the jihadists made a video appeal .
Experts said the attack — Boko Haram ’ s bloodiest this year — underscored the persistent threat it poses , despite government claims the group is a spent force .
“ So far the death toll stands at 69 , ” said an aid agency worker involved in the recovery of bodies after the attack in the Magumeri area of Borno state on Tuesday.
The worker , who asked not to be identified because he was not authorised to speak to the media , said 19 soldiers , 33 civilian militia and 17 civilians were killed .
“ The last body was recovered Friday in the bush in the Geidam district of neighbouring Yobe state , which is several kilometres from the scene of the ambush , ” he told AFP .
“ It shows the victim , who had gunshot wounds , died after trekking a long distance . There could be more such victims in the bush . ”
Another source with knowledge of the rescue operation gave the death toll as “ 70 or more ” and also said it was unclear whether all the victims had been accounted for .
The attack hit Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation staff.
“ It ’ s a confirmation of the boldness and reassurance that Boko Haram has managed to gain over the last six weeks , ” said Yan St -Pierre , from the Modern Security Consulting Group .
“ They have been attacking more and more military outposts and more military convoys . For them to go after NNPC personnel just shows they don ’ t fear any military reprisal .
“ Basically they have managed to gain enough resources , enough material , to plan ambushes targeted towards high value targets. ”
– Video appeal –
News of the rising death toll came after Boko Haram published a four - minute video in which three men identified themselves as being from the University of Maiduguri.
The trio were part of a NNPC team on a mission to find commercial quantities of oil in the Lake Chad basin .
“ I want to call on the acting president professor Yemi Osinbajo to come to our rescue to meet the demand , ” one of the men says in the video , which he said was shot on Friday .
He attributed the attack to the Islamic State -supported Boko Haram faction headed by Abu Mus ’ ab Al - Barnawi, which has vowed to hit military and government targets .
“ They have promised us that if their demands are met they will release us immediately to go back to the work we were caught doing , ” the man added.
There was no indication of where the video was shot but Magumeri is some 50 kilometres (31 miles ) by road northwest of Maiduguri.
University of Maiduguri spokesman Danjuma Gambo confirmed the identities of the three kidnapped men in the video .
“ They are our staff but one more is yet to be accounted for , ” he told AFP .
Five members of staff from the university — two lecturers, two technologists and a driver — were killed , vice - chancellor Ibrahim Njodi said on Friday .
He told reporters the university had been hesitant to send staff with the NNPC team but had been assured about security .
Nigeria is searching for oil in the northeast to try to reduce its reliance on supplies from the Niger delta , where militant attacks have slashed production.
– Suicide bombings –
Kidnapping has been a feature of the Boko Haram insurgency , which has killed at least 20 , 000, displaced more than 2 . 6 million and left millions of others on the brink of famine .
Thousands of women and girls have been seized , to be married off to fighters, used as sex slaves or suicide bombers, while men and boys have been made to fight in the Islamist ranks .
The al- Barnawi faction differs from fighters loyal to Boko Haram ’ s long - time leader Abubakar Shekau in that it disagrees with the indiscriminate targeting of civilians.
On Friday , two suicide bombers struck a camp for displaced people in Dikwa , 90 kilometres (56 miles ) east of Maiduguri , killing five .
Civilian militia member Babakura Kolo said the men disguised themselves as traders wanting to buy grain .
In Bama , 70 kilometres (45 miles) southeast of Maiduguri, three young female suicide bombers were killed when their explosives detonated prematurely on Thursday , he added.
“ A fourth bomber , an 11 - year - old girl , was too frightened to pull the trigger . She succeeded in removing her vest and sneaked into town. She was found and taken into custody, ” he said .