At least 24 villagers, who were on their way to bury victims of a previous Boko Haram attack have been killed at Ngurukayaya in Geidam Local Government in Yobe State by gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram.
The attack is believed to be a reprisal by the insurgent group.
Initially, it was said that the insurgents targeted the village, setting it ablaze and killing four persons, including the village head of Nguro Kayayya. Subsequently, they planted an Improvised Explosive Device resulting in the deaths of over 20 villagers, who were travelling on an improvised tricycle called ‘Jega’ for a condolence visit the following day. Only two persons survived the IED attack and were taken to hospital.
State Police Command Public Relations Officer, ASP Dungus Abdulkarim confirmed the incident, but did not give further details.
The State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, on Thursday held an emergency security meeting to address the resurgence of Boko Haram attacks in certain parts of the state.
Security Adviser to the Governor, Brig.-Gen. Dahiru Abdulsalam (Rtd), explained that the recent military operations in neighbouring Borno State had forced the insurgents to resort to targeting soft targets.
The Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Edward Buba, didn’t respond to the calls put across to his mobile line.
However, a senior officer at the military headquarters confirmed to that the incident happened at Ngurukayaya in Geidam Local Government.
