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It was not clear at first which Boko Haram faction was behind the assault, but the main group loyal to the shadowy leader Abubakar Shekau said in a video Tuesday that it was responsible for the brutal massacre of farm workers in northeastern Nigeria.
Mourners attend the funeral of agricultural workers in Zabarmari, about 20 km from Maiduguri, Nigeria, on November 29, 2020 after they were killed by Boko Haram fighters in rice fields near Koshobe village on 28 November 2020. Image: AFP.
KANO – The jihadist group Boko Haram claimed responsibility for a brutal massacre of farm workers in northeastern Nigeria over the weekend when the death toll rose to 76.
The sinister search for bodies continues after gunmen on motorcycles attacked the area on Saturday outside Borno state capital Maiduguri, killing dozens of workers in the rice fields near the village of Zabarmari.
It was not initially clear which Boko Haram faction was behind the assault, but the main group loyal to the shadowy leader Abubakar Shekau said in a video Tuesday that it was “responsible for what happened in Maiduguri in recent days … especially in Zabarmari. “.
Meanwhile, Borno State Information Commissioner Babakura Abba Jatau said the death toll had risen from 70 to 76.
“Forty-three bodies were buried on Sunday and another 33 were buried on Monday,” he told AFP, adding that the death toll could rise further.
“Residents of Zabarmari village, where the victims were buried, said that many more bodies could be scattered in the swampy rice fields.”
The United Nations said on Sunday that 110 civilians were killed, but later reduced that number to “dozens” of victims, admitting that their initial number was not “confirmed.”
The bloodshed focused on the village of Koshobe, where Boko Haram fighters tied up agricultural workers and slit their throats.
Boko Haram video appeared to confirm reports that the attack was carried out to exact revenge on villagers for capturing the group’s fighters and turning them over to authorities.
“Did you think that you would arrest our brothers and hand him over to the army and live in peace?” said a Boko Haram jihadist in the video.
On Tuesday, local teams continued their search for bodies, traversing the extensive swamp on foot, trudging behind tractors.
“It is exhausting work because normal vehicles cannot move in difficult terrain because they will definitely get stuck,” said Abdullahi Umar, a member of the search team.
He described the search as “dangerous” because Boko Haram insurgents operate in the area, which has trails that connect to the group’s Sambisa forest enclave.
At least 36,000 people have died and two million have been displaced since Boko Haram launched its jihadist insurgency in northeast Nigeria in 2009.
In 2016, the group split into two groups: the main faction led by Abubakar Shekau and the Islamic State-affiliated West African Province of the Islamic State (ISWAP).
Both groups have been accused of increasing attacks on civilians whom they accuse of spying for the army and pro-government militia.
Jihadist violence has also spread to neighboring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, sparking a regional military coalition to fight the insurgents.
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