At least 81 killed in Nigeria in suspected Boko Haram attack: Official

Kano, (APP – UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – Sep 4, 2024) At least 81 people have died and many are missing after an attack by suspected Boko Haram jihadists in the northeast of Yobe State in Nigeria, local officials have said. told AFP on Tuesday.

“Around 150 suspected Boko Haram terrorists armed with rifles and RPGs (rocket propelled grenades) attacked Mafa hall in more than 50 motorcycles around 1600 hours on Sunday,” said Abdulkarim Dungus, a Yobe state police spokesman.

“They killed many people and burned many shops and houses. We have yet to establish the actual number of those killed in the attack.”

Dungus said it appeared to be a revenge attack “for the killing of two Boko Haram terrorists by the country’s vigilantes.”

Bulama Jalaluddeen, a local official, added: “From these figures it was established that at least 81 people were killed in the attack.”

“Fifteen bodies were already buried by their relatives when the soldiers arrived at Mafa for the evacuation of the corpses.

“In addition to these, a certain number of dead victims from neighboring villages who were caught in the attack were taken and buried by their relatives before the arrival of the soldiers. Many people are still missing and their place unknown.”

Boko Haram and other jihadist groups have waged a 15-year insurgency in northeastern Nigeria that has killed more than 40,000 people.

Central and northwestern Nigeria have been plagued for years by gangs of criminals known as “bandits,” who loot villages, kill and kidnap residents, and burn houses after looting.

Working alongside these gangs, jihadist groups have increasingly established a presence in the central state of Niger, officials and analysts say.