At least 23 farmers and fishermen were brutally killed in northeastern Nigeria’s Borno State this week by suspected Islamist militants, according to local residents and security sources who spoke to Reuters.
The deadly attack occurred early Thursday morning in the remote village of Malam Karanti, an area plagued by violence from the militant groups Boko Haram and its breakaway faction, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
Local sources say the attackers gathered villagers mainly bean farmers and fishermen before executing 23 of them.
One elderly man was reportedly spared and later raised the alarm in the nearby community.
“Militants assembled people near the village and killed them. Most of them were farmers who had gone to tend their crops,” said resident Sani Auwal via phone.
“The only person they let go was an old man who later informed us.”
Another resident, Usman Ali, said efforts by the community to retrieve the victims’ bodies were thwarted. “We tried to go and collect the bodies, but the militants chased us away,” he said.
There has been no official comment from the Nigerian military, as army spokespersons did not respond to calls or messages from journalists seeking confirmation and further details.
The attack underscores the continued threat posed by militant groups in northeastern Nigeria, despite claims by authorities in recent years that the insurgency had been largely degraded.
Just last month, Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum acknowledged a resurgence in attacks and abductions by Boko Haram and ISWAP, signaling a troubling reversal of security gains previously made by the Nigerian military.
The insurgency, now in its 15th year, has killed over 350,000 people and displaced millions, with rural communities like Malam Karanti remaining particularly vulnerable to such brutal assaults.
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