Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

World

Boko Haram ‘slits throats of 10 fishermen’ near Lake Chad

-

Boko Haram Islamists slit the throats of 10 fishermen in villages near Baga on the shores of the Lake Chad in northeastern Nigeria, a leading fisherman and a resident said Thursday.

"On Monday around 4 pm (1500 GMT), Boko Haram attacked three villages on the shores of Lake Chad where they slaughtered 10 people, all of them fishermen," Abubakar Gamandi, head of the fishermen's union in Borno State, told AFP.

The account was confirmed by a local fisherman, Buhari Dan-Malam, who lives in Doron Baga.

"The Boko Haram gunmen came around 4:00 pm and they attacked three villages (that are five kilometres/three miles from Doron Baga). They slit the throats of 10 people," he said.

The villages attacked on Monday were Bundaram, where they killed four people, Fishdam, where they killed two people, and Kwatar Mali, where they killed four people," Gamandi said.

"Boko Haram decided not to use guns so as not to attract the attention of soldiers from Baga. This is why they used knives to slaughter their victims," he said.

The fishing villages around Baga were abandoned in January after some of the most deadly attacks by the Islamist sect.

Soldiers of the Chadian army stand next to Panhard AML 90 armoured vehicles on January 21  2015  at ...
Soldiers of the Chadian army stand next to Panhard AML 90 armoured vehicles on January 21, 2015, at the border between Nigeria and Cameroon
Ali Kaya, AFP/File

But "in the last month, residents in the Baga area displaced by the Boko Haram takeover of the area in January have been returning to some villages secured by the military to continue their fishing business," Gamandi said.

"They take their catch back to Maiduguri (the state capital) to sell and make a living because living in the IDP (internally displaced people) camps has become difficult due to lack of food."

The army had authorised the displaced people to go back to fish in the villages, he added.

The jihadists had attempted to enter Doron Baga on Monday but villagers "mobilised and began booing them. And that helped in keeping them away," Dan-Malam said.

"Because of our daring act we let them believe soldiers were in the village. They then went and camped in Dawashi, another village. To avoid being attacked, we went to Maiduguri," he said.

People from the Nigerian town of Malam Fatori  close to the borders with Niger and Chad  pass by a c...
People from the Nigerian town of Malam Fatori, close to the borders with Niger and Chad, pass by a car with Chadian Gendarmes as they flee Islamist Boko Haram attacks
Issouf Sanogo, AFP/File

But they later returned "because fishing is all we know. Now there is fish in the lake which had been left untapped since January," he said.

Last week, nine water melon growers were also killed in Dabar Wiya where they had returned to harvest their produce, said Gamandi who did not provide further details.

The hundreds of islets separated by channels hidden by tall grass in the Lake Chad region provides cover for the militants to steal livestock and food from local inhabitants.

The jihadists, now affiliated with the Islamic State group, have been using the islands as a rear base after being routed from their traditional strongholds in Nigeria by a four-country military offensive against them.

The Chadian army has launched a "major operation" to flush out Boko Haram jihadists from Lake Chad, sparking violent clashes on Monday between soldiers and the group.

Chadian forces have "around 1,000 men positioned to occupy all the islands and neutralise Boko Haram," a security official told AFP.

Boko Haram Islamists slit the throats of 10 fishermen in villages near Baga on the shores of the Lake Chad in northeastern Nigeria, a leading fisherman and a resident said Thursday.

“On Monday around 4 pm (1500 GMT), Boko Haram attacked three villages on the shores of Lake Chad where they slaughtered 10 people, all of them fishermen,” Abubakar Gamandi, head of the fishermen’s union in Borno State, told AFP.

The account was confirmed by a local fisherman, Buhari Dan-Malam, who lives in Doron Baga.

“The Boko Haram gunmen came around 4:00 pm and they attacked three villages (that are five kilometres/three miles from Doron Baga). They slit the throats of 10 people,” he said.

The villages attacked on Monday were Bundaram, where they killed four people, Fishdam, where they killed two people, and Kwatar Mali, where they killed four people,” Gamandi said.

“Boko Haram decided not to use guns so as not to attract the attention of soldiers from Baga. This is why they used knives to slaughter their victims,” he said.

The fishing villages around Baga were abandoned in January after some of the most deadly attacks by the Islamist sect.

Soldiers of the Chadian army stand next to Panhard AML 90 armoured vehicles on January 21  2015  at ...

Soldiers of the Chadian army stand next to Panhard AML 90 armoured vehicles on January 21, 2015, at the border between Nigeria and Cameroon
Ali Kaya, AFP/File

But “in the last month, residents in the Baga area displaced by the Boko Haram takeover of the area in January have been returning to some villages secured by the military to continue their fishing business,” Gamandi said.

“They take their catch back to Maiduguri (the state capital) to sell and make a living because living in the IDP (internally displaced people) camps has become difficult due to lack of food.”

The army had authorised the displaced people to go back to fish in the villages, he added.

The jihadists had attempted to enter Doron Baga on Monday but villagers “mobilised and began booing them. And that helped in keeping them away,” Dan-Malam said.

“Because of our daring act we let them believe soldiers were in the village. They then went and camped in Dawashi, another village. To avoid being attacked, we went to Maiduguri,” he said.

People from the Nigerian town of Malam Fatori  close to the borders with Niger and Chad  pass by a c...

People from the Nigerian town of Malam Fatori, close to the borders with Niger and Chad, pass by a car with Chadian Gendarmes as they flee Islamist Boko Haram attacks
Issouf Sanogo, AFP/File

But they later returned “because fishing is all we know. Now there is fish in the lake which had been left untapped since January,” he said.

Last week, nine water melon growers were also killed in Dabar Wiya where they had returned to harvest their produce, said Gamandi who did not provide further details.

The hundreds of islets separated by channels hidden by tall grass in the Lake Chad region provides cover for the militants to steal livestock and food from local inhabitants.

The jihadists, now affiliated with the Islamic State group, have been using the islands as a rear base after being routed from their traditional strongholds in Nigeria by a four-country military offensive against them.

The Chadian army has launched a “major operation” to flush out Boko Haram jihadists from Lake Chad, sparking violent clashes on Monday between soldiers and the group.

Chadian forces have “around 1,000 men positioned to occupy all the islands and neutralise Boko Haram,” a security official told AFP.

AFP
Written By

With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world as a leading global news agency. AFP provides fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the issues affecting our daily lives.

You may also like:

Life

Their stories are divided into before and after.

Social Media

Wanna buy some ignorance? You’re in luck.

Tech & Science

Under new legislation that passed the House of Representatives last week, TikTok could be banned in the United States.

Life

Platforms like Instagram and Pinterest often suggest travel destinations based on your likes and viewing habits.