Boko Haram kills 40 villagers in Yobe state- Police

Boko Haram kills 40 villagers in Yobe state- Police

According to the Police, between Monday and Tuesday, suspected Boko Haram militants killed at least 40 people in Nigeria’s Yobe state. This attack, which involved the shooting of villagers and the detonation of a land mine, marks the first major attack on the northern eastern state in 18 months.

The state’s police spokesperson, Abdulkarim Dungus said the attack happened at about 8:30 p.m. On Monday, at Gurokayeya village, Gaidam local government in Yobe State.

He said gunmen opened fire on villagers, killing at least 17 people and that on Tuesday a land mine exploded, killing at least 20 villagers who were returning from burying victims of the previous attack.

The militant group has been killing and abducting villagers in Borno state, a hotbed for militancy that has been the epicenter of a 14-year war on insurgency in Nigeria.

President Bola Tinubu and his cabinet on Monday approved a $2.8 billion supplementary budget to fund “urgent issues” including defence and security.

Tinubu, preoccupied with the economy, has yet to disclose how he would tackle insurgency in the north and widespread insecurity in other parts of the country.

The Yobe community had been at peace for over a year before this attack, residents said. The last time a bomb exploded in Yobe state was in April 2022.

Lawan Ahmed, a resident said the militants shot at villagers sporadically from motorbikes, killing about 18 people on Monday.

Ahmed added that the same insurgents on Tuesday attempted to eliminate those who had gone to the burial on Monday, killing more than 20 people.