Boko Haram Allegedly Shoots Village And Kills 40 People In Nigeria

Illustration of Nigerian security forces. (Wikimedia Commons/VOA/Nicolas Pinault)

JAKARTA - At least 40 people died in Yobe State, Nigeria on Monday and Tuesday, after a group suspected of being Boko Haram militants opened fire on villagers and detonated landmines, the first major attack in 18 months in the region, police said.

The attack took place at around 20.30 local time on Monday, in Gurokayeya Village, Gaidam, Yobe State, state police spokesman Abdulkarim Dungus said.

He said gunmen opened fire on villagers, killing at least 17 people. The next day, a landmine exploded and killed at least 20 villagers who returned after burying the victims of the attack on Monday.

Meanwhile, Opponent Ahmed, a resident, said militants were firing sporadically at villagers from motorbikes, killing about 18 people on Monday.

Ahmed added that the same rebels on Tuesday sought to eliminate those who wanted to bury those who died the day before, killing more than 20 people.

It said Boko Haram had killed and kidnapped villagers in the State of Borno, a militant center that has been the center of the war against the insurgency in Nigeria for 14 years.

On Monday, the President of Tinubu Ball and his cabinet approved an additional $2.8 billion budget to fund "urgent issues", including defense and security.

President Tinubu himself has not disclosed how he will overcome the insurgency in the northern region, as well as the widespread insecurity in the country.

It said Yobe residents had been living peacefully for more than a year before this attack. The last time a bomb exploded in Yobe state was in April 2022.