Attacks blamed on Boko Haram this year (AFP)

LAGOS  (AFP) – A number of churches in northeast Nigeria were attacked by suspected Boko Haram Islamists on Sunday, near the town of Chibok where more than 200 teenage girls were kidnapped in April.
Witnesses say they fear that yet again, dozens have been killed.Vanguard

Here are some of the deadly raids, kidnappings and bombings that have been linked to Boko Haram this year:

- February 15, 2014: An attack blamed on the extremist sect leaves more than 100 people dead in the mostly Christian village of Izghe in the north-eastern state of Borno.

- April 14: Gunmen kidnap 276 female high school students in Chibok, Borno. Fifty-seven managed to escape but the rest are still being held. Several foreign countries, including the United States, have joined forces to try to find the girls.
- April 14: A blast at a bus station packed with morning commuters at Nyanya, on the southern outskirts of Abuja, kills at least 75 people, the most deadly attack to date on the capital. Boko Haram claims responsibility. On May 1, a car bomb at the same spot kills 19, and leaves 80 injured.

- May 5: At least 300 people are killed in an attack in Gamboru Ngala, in Borno state near the border with Cameroon, which totally destroys the town.
- May 20: At least 118 are killed and 56 injured in two car bomb attacks on a market in Jos, central Nigeria, which go off within 20 minutes of each other. The regional governor blames Boko Haram.

- June 1: At least 40 are killed when a bomb explodes at a football stadium in Mubi in the north-east of the country shortly after a match. The attack is blamed on Boko Haram.
- June 3: Hundreds are feared dead in a suspected Boko Haram attack on four villages in Borno state, with local leaders putting the death toll as high as 500.
- June 17: 21 football fans are killed when a bomb rips through the viewing centre where they are watching the World Cup in Damaturu, northern Nigeria.
- June 24: Local officials report 30 killed and more than 60 women kidnapped in a series of attacks over several days in Borno state, although the Nigerian government denies the abductions.
- June 25: At least 21 people are killed and 17 injured in a bombing at a crowded shopping centre in the centre of Abuja. The attack — the third on the city in three months — is blamed on Boko Haram.
- June 29: Suspected Boko Haram gunmen riding on motorcycles target a number of churches during Sunday mass, opening fire on worshippers and chasing them into the bush. Witnesses fear dozens are killed.