The remains of 37 villagers who lost their lives due to Boko Haram attacks have been transported from Mafa, a town located in the Tarmuwa Local Government Area of Yobe State.
Naija News gathered that the bodies of the victims had been taken to Babbangida General Hospital in preparation for a mass burial scheduled for 10 am.
The burial will be attended by Yobe State Deputy Governor, Hon Idi Barde Gubana, along with other senior government officials. It will take place at the Babangida Emir’s Palace, the administrative centre of Tarmuwa LG.
Daily Trust quoted sources from the community to have noted that no fewer than 87 people were killed by the terrorists in the latest attack.
“We can categorically say that they killed at least 87 people. We could not show you the remains of the victims because some of them died in the bush, even the military failed to find them.”
“So far, 37 corpses are in Babbangida General Hospital after the military evacuated them from the affected community while the decomposed corpses would be buried at the scene,” a source revealed.
Reports indicate that Boko Haram insurgents have claimed the lives of numerous villagers, predominantly farmers, and have incinerated homes and businesses in Mafa.
The assault on the village occurred around 4 PM as residents were returning from their agricultural activities.
In a previous incident last month, two individuals lost their lives, and 475 households were displaced due to a Boko Haram attack, which reportedly impacted over 2,390 individuals across four communities within the Mafa ward.
A source suggested that this recent attack may have been a form of retaliation against the villagers for allegedly supplying information to the military, which resulted in the deaths of several insurgents in the previous month.
“In July, some residents provided intelligence about the terrorists’ activities to the military, which resulted in a successful operation against them. This likely angered the insurgents, leading to the recent attack,” the source said.
The spokesman of the Yobe State Police Command, Dungus Abdulkarim, confirmed the attack to newsmen but noted that details were still unclear due to the network failure in the affected area.
“We cannot yet confirm the exact number of casualties, but the attack occurred around 4 p.m. in Mafa. The insurgents arrived on over 50 motorcycles, setting shops and houses on fire and killing several people. They also left behind some fliers with Arabic inscriptions,” Abdulkarim said.
Meanwhile, the Special Adviser to the Governor of Yobe State on Security Matters, Brigadier-General Dahiru Abdulsalam (Retired), has also verified the occurrence of the attack.
He stated that military forces had been dispatched to the region and that the order had been reinstated.
Naija News reports that Mafa village is located in proximity to Shekau village, the birthplace of the deceased Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau.
