At least 40 farmers killed in attack blamed on Boko Haram and Islamic State in northeastern Nigeria

MADRID Jan. 14 (EUROPA PRESS) –

At least 40 farmers have died and an unknown number have been reported missing as a result of an attack allegedly carried out by Boko Haram and Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA) fighters in Borno state, northeastern Nigeria, they have confirmed. this Monday the authorities.

“On Sunday, January 12, 2025, an armed militia suspected to be Boko Haram/ISWA terrorists attacked some farmers and fishermen in Dumba community, near Baga in Kukawa Local Government Area. Initial report indicates that about forty farmers have been killed, while the whereabouts of many of those who escaped the attack are being sought to reunite them with their families,” said Borno Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Usman Tar.

The attack took place on Sunday around 4:30 p.m. (local time), just 24 hours after two people died and a church was burned in a similar attack in Chibok, in the south of the aforementioned state, reports the Nigerian newspaper ‘Punch ‘.

The authorities have also reported that they have reported missing dozens of farmers who could have been kidnapped by the combatants.

The state governor, Babagana Zulum, has condemned the attack, expressed his sorrow for the victims and called on the Army to locate the perpetrators.

“With deep pain and anguish, I have received the sad news of the attack on Dumba, where dozens of our farmers and fishermen were killed by terrorists. On behalf of the Government, I stand in solidarity with the families of the victims. Let me assure the citizens of Borno that this matter will be thoroughly investigated to take the necessary measures,” he declared.

In addition, he has urged residents of the area to limit themselves to “safe corridors” demarcated by security forces to avoid areas not yet “cleared” of insurgents or land mines.

ISWA, a splinter of the bloodthirsty jihadist organization Boko Haram, has increased the pace of its attacks in the north of the country since the beginning of the year. On January 4, terrorists killed six soldiers in what the Nigerian military authority described as a failed attack on its troops in Sabon Gari, also in Borno state.