No fewer than 23 farmers and fishermen were killed in an attack by the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists in the village of Malam Karanti near Baga, in the Kukawa Local Government Area of the northern part of Borno State, sources have said.
Our correspondent gathered that the attack occurred on Thursday morning in Malam Karanti, a village five kilometres from Baga.
Sources said the terrorists gathered farmers and fishermen near the village and killed 23 bean farmers.
“The terrorists spared an elderly man, who later alerted the community. The terrorists assembled people in Malam Karanti and killed them. Most of the victims were bean farmers,” a source said.
Residents attempting to recover bodies were forced to retreat after ISWAP launched another attack.
“We tried to organise a rescue mission with security agencies to recover the victims’ bodies, but the terrorists returned and prevented us. Many families are waiting for their loved ones,” another source said.
Malam Karanti is an ISWAP enclave where civilians often farm and fish despite risks.
Meanwhile, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, during his visit on Thursday, assured residents of Borno State and the North-East that the military is frantically working to deal with the terrorists and flush them out of their enclaves to end the crisis.
He added that the military is synergising with friendly countries such as Russia, France, among others, to deploy sophisticated weapons that could bring the war quickly to an end.
General Musa added that recharging of the Lake Chad will also enable troops to navigate the Lake Chad axis to eliminate the terrorists, especially the ISWAP, who have capitalised on the economic fortunes of the Chad Basin, such as fishing and farming, to boost their logistics base.