Mourners attend the funeral of agricultural workers in Nigeria.
Maiduguri, Nigeria:
A weekend attack on a village in northeast Nigeria attributed to the jihadist group Boko Haram killed at least 110 people, the country’s UN humanitarian coordinator said on Sunday.
“At least 110 civilians were mercilessly killed and many others wounded in this attack,” Edward Kallon said in a statement after an initial count indicated 43 and then at least 70 killed in Saturday’s massacre by suspected Boko Haram fighters.
“The incident is the most violent direct attack on innocent civilians this year,” Kallon said, adding: “I call for the perpetrators of this heinous and senseless act to be brought to justice.”
The bloodshed took place in the village of Koshobe, near the main city of Maiduguri, and the assailants attacked farmers in the rice fields.
Borno Governor Babaganan Umara Zulum attended the burial in nearby Zabarmari village on Sunday of 43 bodies recovered on Saturday, saying the death toll could rise after search operations resume.
The assailants tied up farm workers and slit their throats, according to a pro-government anti-Jihadist militia.
The victims were among workers from Sokoto state in northwestern Nigeria, about 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) away, who had traveled northeast to find work, he said.
Six were injured in the attack and eight were still missing as of Saturday.
Kallon, citing “reports that several women may have been abducted,” called for their immediate release and return to safety.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari condemned the attack, saying: “The entire country has been hurt by these senseless killings.”
The attack took place as voters went to the polls in long-delayed local elections in Borno state.
The elections had been repeatedly postponed due to increased attacks by Boko Haram and a rival dissident faction, ISWAP.
The two groups have been accused of increasing attacks on loggers, farmers and fishermen whom they accuse of spying for the army and pro-government militias.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
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