Suspected Boko Haram gunmen killed 13 farmers in central Nigeria, according to United Nations and security sources who spoke to AFP on Thursday.
The attack in Niger state highlights the expanding influence of jihadists from the northeast as they form closer ties with criminal gangs in central and northwestern Nigeria.
On Wednesday, the gunmen raided the Anguwan Mai-Giro community in Shiroro district on motorbikes and opened fire on farm workers, resulting in the deaths of three women among the victims.
Bologi Ibrahim, a spokesman for the Niger state governor, condemned the violence, attributing it to “underworld” gunmen, though he did not specify the death toll. However, both a security source and a UN staff member confirmed that Boko Haram terrorists were responsible for the death of 13 individuals.
“The attackers were obviously Boko Haram terrorists who targeted workers on a private farm outside Magami village,” the security source stated. He noted that many victims were shot in the head, indicating a lethal intent.
Boko Haram and other insurgent groups have led a 15-year insurgency in northeast Nigeria, resulting in over 40,000 deaths. Meanwhile, central and northwestern Nigeria have long been afflicted by criminal gangs known as “bandits,” who raid villages, kill residents, abduct individuals, and destroy homes.
By aligning with these gangs, terrorist groups have established a foothold in central Niger state, previously seizing villages and setting up camps close to the attack site. In April, Boko Haram fighters killed two soldiers and local vigilantes in Allawa village, prompting a withdrawal of troops that forced residents to flee.
The UN source stated that the victims of Wednesday’s attack were originally from Allawa, having been displaced six months ago. “They fled their homes to escape the insurgents but ended up being killed by the same people they sought to avoid,” the source lamented.