We killed 34 villagers in Yobe for providing intelligence to the military — ISWAP
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Despite constant assurances by top military brass that efforts are being made to obliterate terrorists tormenting the Northern region, the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) has formally claimed responsibility for a recent attack that resulted in the deaths of 34 villagers in Yobe State.
The unfortunate attack, which took place in Mafa town around 4pm last weekend, also saw houses and shops razed.
The terrorist group in a letter written in Arabic, claimed responsibility for the attack, noting that the village was raided for providing information to the Nigerian military, which led to the killing of some of their fighters.
In the letter, ISWAP addressed the leaders, local officials and residents of Mafa and surrounding villages, accusing them of sabotaging the group.
The criminal elements sternly warned the villagers that while they had previously spared those uninvolved in the raging conflict, the continued cooperation with the military had escalated tensions.
“This is a message from the soldiers of the Caliphate in the West Africa Province to the leaders, mukhtars, and the rest of the residents and farmers in the town of Mafa and the villages around it,” the letter partly reads.
The group claimed that while they had initially restrained from harming civilians, recent actions by the villagers, including allegedly supporting military operations against ISWAP, had forced their hand.
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“You have harmed our brothers in the past days in the town of Bangaro and its environs, and you cooperated and sympathized with the apostates in killing our brothers. When we arrived in the area, we did not harm you. Rather, we limited ourselves to those whose hands were stained with the blood of our brothers”, the letter further stated.
ISWAP justified the attack as a response to what they described as repeated provocations and betrayal by the villagers, warning that further actions would be taken if the villagers continued to side with the military.
Meanwhile, this attack underscores the ongoing security challenges in Nigeria’s northeastern region, where insurgent groups like ISWAP continue to perpetrate violence, particularly against communities they accuse of collaborating with the Nigerian military.
