23 Farmers And Fishermen Killed In Militant Attack In Nigeria’s Borno State
Suspected Boko Haram or ISWAP militants carried out the killings in Malam Karanti village, residents and security sources told Reuters.
At least 23 farmers and fishermen were killed and others abducted by suspected Islamist militants in northeastern Nigeria’s Borno state this week, as confirmed by security sources and local residents.
According to Reuters, The attack occurred in Malam Karanti, a village in Borno, on Thursday morning, Reuters reported. The region has experienced a prolonged insurgency led by the Islamist armed group Boko Haram and its splinter faction Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
Reuters cited local resident Sani Auwal, who said by phone that the militants gathered farmers and fishermen near the village and killed 23 people, many of whom were bean farmers. According to Auwal, an elderly man was spared by the attackers and later informed the rest of the community about the killings.
Another resident, Usman Ali, told Reuters that the community’s attempt to retrieve the bodies of the deceased was unsuccessful, as the militants chased them away.
As reported by Reuters, the Nigerian army has not issued a comment regarding the attack. Phone calls and text messages from Reuters to a military spokesperson went unanswered.
In April, Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum acknowledged a resurgence of attacks and kidnappings in the region, stating that Boko Haram had intensified its operations despite earlier gains made by security forces, Reuters reported. Reuters noted that northeastern Nigeria has been affected by a violent insurgency for over a decade, leading to thousands of deaths and displacements across the region
