At least 81 people have been killed and several others are missing following an attack in northeastern Nigeria, according to local authorities who spoke to Agence France Presse on Tuesday, September 3. The jihadist group Boko Haram has been blamed for the assault. Yobe State Police reported that approximately 150 suspected Boko Haram members, armed with firearms and grenades, attacked the village of Mafa on motorcycles.
Nigerian police spokesman Abdulkarim Dungus suggested that the attack was likely in retaliation for the killing of two Boko Haram members by local self-defense groups. The jihadists have accused the residents of Mafa of collaborating with the military in its efforts against Boko Haram.
Bulama Jalaluddeen, a spokesperson for the local government of Tarmuwa, where Mafa is situated, confirmed that at least 81 people were killed. Of these, 34 bodies have been buried in Babbangida, the local government seat, while 30 others remain in Mafa.
The police have not yet provided specific numbers, but they estimate that Boko Haram killed many people and set fire to numerous stores and homes during the attack. The villages in Yobe, predominantly populated by farmers and herders, frequently face looting and extortion by jihadists.
In late October 2023, police, aided by villagers, killed several jihadists near Kayayya after receiving threats. In retaliation, Boko Haram killed 37 people over two days, including 20 who were returning from funerals for the previous day’s victims. Boko Haram has been active since the onset of the jihadist insurgency in 2009, a conflict that has claimed over 40,000 lives.