Gunmen ‘kill 34 worshippers’ in Yobe community

Suspected Boko Haram terrorists reportedly killed 34 worshippers in Mafa village, Tarmuwa LGA of Yobe, on Sunday.

Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency publication focused on the Lake Chad region, said the attack occurred during Magrib prayer, when the gunmen shot sporadically into the gathering.

“Terrorists gruesomely rigged the corpses with Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), setting a deadly trap for first responders or security personnel who might approach the scene,” the report reads.

Makama added that the gunmen also laid multiple explosives on the path to the village for military vehicles.

Intelligence sources told the publication that the attack was a likely retaliation for the community’s failure to pay terrorist dues.

There are reports that authorities in Yobe are planning a mass burial for the victims of the attack. Yobe government spokespersons did not immediately respond to requests for comments at the time of filing this story.

On Sunday, Dungus Abdulkarim, Yobe police spokesperson, said gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram insurgents looted and set ablaze shops and houses in Mafa village, Tarmuwa LGA.

Abdulkarim said the gunmen killed an unspecified number of people, adding that they also dropped some fliers with Arabic inscriptions.