At least 40 farmers were killed in an attack by suspected Islamic militants in northeast Nigeria’s Borno state, a government official confirmed Monday.
The attack took place Sunday in the Dumba community of Borno state and is believed to have been carried out by members of Boko Haram and its splinter group, which is loyal to the Islamic State, according to Governor Babagana Umara Zulum.
Zulum urged residents to remain within designated “safe zones” cleared by the military, warning that other areas remain at risk due to the presence of extremists and unexploded munitions.
“I assure the citizens of Borno that this incident will be thoroughly investigated, and further necessary action will follow,” Zulum said in a statement. “I also call on the armed forces to pursue and deal decisively with those responsible for this heinous act against innocent civilians.”
Boko Haram, a Nigeria-based extremist group, launched its insurgency in 2009 with the aim of imposing its radical interpretation of Islamic law and rejecting Western education. The group’s violence has since expanded into neighboring countries, becoming Africa’s longest-running militant conflict.
The United Nations reports that the insurgency has claimed the lives of approximately 35,000 civilians and displaced more than 2 million people in Nigeria’s northeast. Borno state remains the epicenter of the crisis, which gained international attention in 2014 after Boko Haram kidnapped 276 schoolgirls from the village of Chibok.
