Borno state Governor, Kashim Shettima, has confirmed the killings of at least 31 fishermen by Boko Haram terrorists in two separate attacks on islands in Lake Chad, northeastern Nigeria.
The governor made the confirmation while presenting relief materials donated to the state by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), to the Internally Displaced Persons in Maiduguri on Tuesday.
While noting that the military and other security agencies were yet to verify the report, he said the attack indicated that the Boko Haram insurgents were still unleashing terror, killing and maiming people in the Lake Chad Basin.
Armed terrorists stormed the fishing islands of Duguri and Dabar Wanzam in the lake on Saturday, shooting and hacking some of the fishermen.
A member of a local vigilante said Boko Haram killed 14 in Duguri and another 17 in Dabar Wanzam.
One fisherman was spared in Duguri and 12 bodies of the men killed were loaded in a canoe, with a warning for them not to fish in the lake, TVC reported.
Communication in the area has been difficult as Boko Haram has destroyed telecom masts in the region.
The attacks happened a week after military authorities lifted a two-year ban on fishing in the Lake Chad region.
News Editor