ISWAP fighters ‘cut off fishermen’s hands over theft’ in Borno

Fighters of the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) have reportedly cut off the hands of two fishermen over alleged theft in Marte area of Borno state.

Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency publication focused on the Lake Chad region, said the two men are among a group of fishermen engaged in fishing activities under the control of ISWAP.

The publication said the activities of fishermen in the region are regulated by the ISWAP terrorists who subject them to payment of levies and taxes.

An intelligence source reportedly told the publication that the terrorists seized eight cartons of fish from the two fishermen for failing to pay taxes.

The terrorists were said to have loaded six of the eight cartons of the confiscated fish into their canoes due to space constraints.

The two fishermen retrieved the remaining two cartons left behind by the terrorists and got arrested on charges of theft.

According to the publication, the leader of the terrorist group ordered that their hands be chopped off in line with the provisions of sharia law.

Some Borno communities are under the control of terrorists.

Recently, scores of the terrorists were killed by Nigerian Air Force (NAF) air strikes.