Maiduguri: Suspected Islamist militants killed at least 23 farmers and fishermen and abducted several others in an attack on Malam Karanti village in Nigeria’s northeastern Borno state, according to security sources and local residents who spoke to Reuters.
The massacre, which occurred early Thursday, highlights the persistent threat posed by insurgent groups in the region. Nigeria has been battling a protracted insurgency in the northeast, largely driven by Boko Haram and its splinter group, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). Both groups have continued to wage a campaign of violence against civilians, especially in rural communities.
Residents described how the attackers rounded up villagers—primarily bean farmers and fishermen—before carrying out the killings. “They spared an elderly man who later alerted the community,” said local resident Sani Auwal via phone.
Another resident, Usman Ali, said attempts by villagers to retrieve the bodies of the victims were thwarted when militants returned to the scene and drove them away.
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Efforts to obtain a comment from the Nigerian army were unsuccessful, as a spokesperson did not respond to phone calls or text messages.
The attack comes amid rising concerns over the resurgence of violence in Borno state. Last month, the state’s governor publicly acknowledged a spike in militant activities, including renewed kidnappings and killings, which he said had reversed some of the progress made by security forces in recent years.
