Boko Haram militants have k!lled at least 17 fishermen and farmers in Malam Karanti village near Baga, Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State, accusing them of supporting a rival jihadist faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
According to reports , the attack occurred on Thursday afternoon as victims were fishing and tending crops along the shores of Lake Chad. Several others were reportedly abducted during the assault, with the death toll feared to rise.
“So far 17 bodies have been recovered and the search for more bodies is underway,” Babakura Kolo, a militia leader involved in anti-jihadist operations, told reporters. He added that Boko Haram suspects local fishermen and farmers of aiding ISWAP, a splinter group that is considered less hostile toward civilians in the region. “Though they also k!ll fishermen and farmers when it suits them,” Kolo noted.
Umar Ari, another militia member, confirmed the attack and the number of casualties. He said the assailants struck around 2 p.m. on Thursday, targeting civilians working near the freshwater lake.
The attack highlights the ongoing violence in Nigeria’s northeast, where Boko Haram and ISWAP have waged a deadly insurgency since 2009. Over 40,000 people have been killed and more than two million displaced during the conflict. The two jihadist factions have been engaged in violent rivalry since a split in 2016 over ideological differences and territorial control.
“Boko Haram now controls Lake Chad and they are wary of a potential comeback by ISWAP,” Kolo said.
The Malam Karanti killings came just hours before a separate assault early Friday by ISWAP fighters, who attacked a military base housing Nigerian and Cameroonian troops in Wulgo, k!lling five soldiers.
Civilians, particularly farmers, fishermen, herders, and scrap metal collectors, have increasingly become targets of both groups, often accused of espionage or cooperating with the military and local defense forces. In January, ISWAP reportedly k!lled at least 40 farmers in Dumba for farming without permission. A Nigerian intelligence report cited by AFP indicated the toll could be more than 100.
Last month, Boko Haram also k!lled 14 farmers near Pulka, close to the Cameroonian border, further underscoring the relentless threat to rural communities in the region.
