Boko Haram Jihadists Punish Village for Sharing Tips with Police
By Segun Onibiyo
(Kaduna)- On September 3, 2024, at least 87 bodies were recovered from Mafa, a community in Tamuwa Local Government Area of Yobe State, following a Sunday night attack by suspected Boko Haram terrorists.
The death toll was reported after the assailants stormed the community, burning down over 50 shops and houses. The victims included women, children, and able-bodied men.
This attack follows a recent assault on a private school in neighboring Geidam county, where three students were killed by unidentified gunmen last Friday.
The attackers, armed with rifles and RPGs, stormed the village on more than 50 motorcycles at about 4:00 p.m. local time, looting and setting ablaze numerous kiosks and houses.
Local residents, Babagana Goni and Bako Ibrahim, reported the incident to the police after the attack, police spokesperson DSP Dungus Abdulkarim told the Nigerian media on Monday.
“The terrorists also killed many people, but we are yet to ascertain the actual number of casualties,” Abdulkarim said. The attackers also left behind fliers with Arabic inscriptions,” according to Punch.
An escapee from Tama village, Alkali Faroq, told Truth Nigeria, “It was around 4 p.m. when we saw the terrorists on motorbikes, entering the village from different directions, shooting at anything that moved. They got off their bikes and chased the villagers, shooting them. They then looted the shops and set the houses on fire.”
“I ran into the bushes as soon as I saw them. A few of us who managed to escape hid until it was dark, and the gunfire stopped. We then made our way to a nearby village where we found refuge.”
Speaking to TruthNigeria by phone, a staff member of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mr. Manzo, confirmed the death toll had hit 87, adding that more bodies could be found in the surrounding bushes.
“It was a massacre. The scene was horrifying—children still strapped to their mothers’ backs, shot in the head and chest, many with machete wounds,” Mr. Manzo said.
Yobe State Police spokesman Mr. Dungus Abdulkarim explained that the terrorists had issued warnings to the villagers two weeks before the attack.
Attack An Act of Boko Haram Retribution
“Two weeks ago, we were informed by the community guards that some of the terrorists had surrounded a weekly market in Mafa, warning people against providing intelligence to the police or military. This was a response to the community’s effective policing efforts, which had led to the arrest of several members of the terrorist group.”
“Although we have launched an investigation into the attack, it will take time to determine the full extent of the damage, including the number of people killed or taken captive.”
When asked about the police response, DSP Dungus said, “We cooperated with the community guards on intelligence, but the attack caught everyone by surprise. The incident was reported to the Tarmuwa Divisional Police Station by Babagana Goni and Bako Ibrahim both residents of Mafa community.”
Nigerian authorities have battled the Islamist insurgency known as Boko Haram (Western Learning Forbidden) since 2009. Boko Haram launched an insurgency seeking to overthrow the government and establish an Islamic state and has killed tens of thousands and forced more than 2 million people to flee their homes, launching one of the world’s most deadly sectarian civil wars.
The weekend attacks on Yobe will be perceived as a setback to the Administration of President Bola Tinubu, which has scored dozens of military defeats of Boko Haram fighters in the southern area of Lake Chad. However, analysts have noted for years that the nation’s military has not addressed the root causes of the conflict, which they say is linked it intractable poverty.
Yobe State was created from Borno State on August 27, 1991, under the regime of General Ibrahim Babangida, with its capital in Damaturu. Located in Nigeria’s northeastern region, Yobe State covers 45,502 square kilometers. It shares borders with Borno State to the east, Gombe State to the south, Bauchi and Jigawa States to the west, and Niger Republic to the north. The state lies mainly in a dry savanna belt, with a hot climate for most of the year, except in the southern part, which has milder weather.
Mafa is a local government area Yobe bordering Borno State, Nigeria, with its headquarters in the town of Mafa.
Segun Onibiyo is a conflict reporter for Truth Nigeria.
