At least 28 people have been killed in two separate jihadist attacks in northern Nigeria, officials and residents have confirmed on July 3.
In Sokoto State, militants from the jihadist group Lakurawa stormed a village on Wednesday, July 2, killing 17 civilians in what is believed to be a reprisal attack following the death of three militants during a failed raid by local vigilantes.
Eyewitnesses reported that the assailants opened fire indiscriminately, causing widespread panic and devastation. On Thursday, July 3, fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) attacked the border town of Malam Fatori, targeting a camp for internally displaced persons. According to Lieutenant Colonel Olaniyi Osoba of the Multinational Joint Task Force, 11 people were killed and at least 20 others injured, with the wounded evacuated to a hospital in neighbouring Niger. These attacks underscore the ongoing security crisis in northern Nigeria, where jihadist violence has claimed over 40,000 lives and displaced approximately two million people since 2009, according to United Nations figures.