Nigeria’s Northeast: 37 Villagers Killed in New Extremist Attack

In two distinct attacks by extremists in Yobe state’s Geidam region, at least 37 villagers in northeastern Nigeria lost their lives.

The strikes, which started with the first attack in more than a year, were directed on the local villages. Twenty individuals who had gone to the funeral were killed by a land mine, and the first 17 victims were shot dead.

In 2009, the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram began an uprising in order to impose their strict version of Islamic law throughout the region.

The extreme violence concentrated in Borno state, which borders Yobe, has resulted in at least 35,000 deaths and almost 2 million displacements.

President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria has not been able to resolve the security issues facing the country, as numerous armed groups continue to murder villages and abduct tourists for ransom.

In response to the attacks, the administration of Yobe state called an emergency security conference and blamed Islamists who had entered the state from neighbouring Borno.

To prevent similar incidents in the future, security agencies have sent security personnel to the region and are reviewing a report on the intrusion.