At least 81 people have been confirmed dead, with several others missing, after an attack by suspected Boko Haram militants in northeastern Nigeria’s Yobe State, officials reported on Tuesday.
Abdulkarim Dungus, a spokesperson for the Yobe state police, stated that around 150 suspected Boko Haram fighters, armed with rifles and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), launched the assault on Mafa ward at around 4:00 p.m. on Sunday. The attackers, riding over 50 motorcycles, caused significant devastation, killing numerous people and setting fire to shops and homes. The exact death toll from the attack is still being determined.
Dungus suggested that the assault may have been an act of retaliation for the recent killing of two Boko Haram militants by local vigilantes in the village.
Local official Bulama Jalaluddeen added, “It has been confirmed that at least 81 people lost their lives in the attack.”
He also noted that by the time soldiers arrived in Mafa to retrieve the bodies, 15 of the victims had already been buried by their relatives. Additionally, some victims from nearby villages, caught up in the attack, were buried by their families before the military’s arrival. Many others remain missing, and their whereabouts are currently unknown.
Boko Haram and other factions have been waging a 15-year insurgency in northeast Nigeria, resulting in over 40,000 deaths. In recent years, criminal gangs, known as “bandits,” have also terrorised central and northwest Nigeria, looting villages, abducting residents, and setting homes ablaze. Officials and analysts warn that jihadist groups have been increasingly collaborating with these gangs, expanding their presence into central Niger State.