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At least 110 people have been killed in an attack on a village in northeastern Nigeria attributed to the jihadist group Boko Haram, according to the UN humanitarian coordinator in the country.
“At least 110 civilians were mercilessly killed and many others injured in this attack,” Edward Kallon said in a statement after initial tolls 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 attack took place in the village of Koshobe, near the main town of Maiduguri, and the attackers targeted farmers in the rice fields. Borno State Governor Babagana Umara Zulum attended the burial on Sunday in the nearby Zabarmari village of 43 bodies recovered on Saturday, and said the number 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. Another six were injured in the attack and eight were still missing as of Saturday.
Kallon cited “reports that several women may have been abducted” and called for their immediate release and their return to safety.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari condemned the attack, saying: “The entire country has been wounded by these senseless killings.”
The attack took place as voters went to the polls in long-delayed local elections in Borno state. The elections have 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.
