Reports reaching the desk of Africa Today News, New York recalls that no fewer than 26 displaced persons who went on a fishing expedition have been shot dead by the fighters of the Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP) in Ngala Local Government Area of Borno State.
According to eyewitnesses, the ISWAP fighters had on several occasions warned the fishermen to stay away from their zones before they unleashed terror on them on Wednesday.
A local, who escaped the attack, said the terrorists surrounded the fishermen near the riverbanks and opened fire on them, killing at least 35 people while many others were missing.
The survivor said that the incident occurred at Mukdolo under Ngala Local Government Area bordering Dikwa village, adding that ‘unfortunately all the victims were IDPs from Dikwa town.’
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‘They rode on motorbikes from a nearby forest and surrounded us at riverbanks and they said they have warned us to stay away from there.
‘They started shooting at all angles and only three of us returned to Dikwa. I can tell you more than 26 people were killed. As I speak many are yet to return to Dikwa town,’ he said.
Corroborating the account, Zagazola Makama, a Counter-Insurgency Expert and Security Analyst in the Lake Chad region, said dozens of the terrorists riding on motorcycles stormed the field and began shooting sporadically.
He said nine of the victims managed to flee, three sustaining bullet wounds.
‘They asked them to lie down. Thereafter, they used their fishing net and wrapped them before they started torturing them. After they became unconscious, they opened fire on them, killing them instantly.
‘The bodies of the 26 farmers were later recovered during search and rescue operation by troops who received the news from victims who fled the attack,’ Makama added.
Africa Today News, New York reports that insecurity has always been a challenge in the North West.