Suspected Boko Haram fighters launched an assault on a village in northeastern Nigeria, resulting in numerous fatalities. The group reportedly set ablaze shops and homes during the attack, as reported by Al Jazeera. The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon. Local official Bulama Jalaluddeen confirmed that 81 lives were lost in the attack. However, resident Modu Mohammed from Mafa estimated the death toll to be over 100, with several residents still missing and some bodies remaining in the bush.
Approximately 150 suspected Boko Haram members, armed with rifles and RPGs, attacked Mafa ward on over 50 motorcycles, according to Dungus Abdulkarim, a police spokesman in Yobe State. Abdulkarim noted that the actual number of casualties is yet to be determined. The attack seemed to be a retaliatory move by Boko Haram against local vigilantes who had previously killed two of the group's suspected fighters.
Efforts are ongoing to verify the exact number of casualties in Mafa. Local official Jalaluddeen mentioned that 15 bodies had been buried by relatives before soldiers arrived for evacuation. Additionally, an unspecified number of victims from nearby villages, caught in the attack, were buried by their kin prior to the soldiers' arrival. Many individuals remain unaccounted for.
Yobe State has been severely affected by a 15-year insurgency led by Boko Haram and other extremist groups, which has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and displaced over two million people. These militant groups have formed alliances with criminal gangs known as "bandits," who engage in killing, abducting residents, and burning homes after looting, according to Al Jazeera.
