At least 65 people died in an attack by suspected Islamist extremists on a group returning from a funeral in Nigeria’s northeastern Borno region, state television reported on Sunday. It the deadliest attacks on civilians in the country in recent years.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Boko Haram and a rival group, the Islamic State in West Africa, have often carried out attacks in the area.
The local government chairman, Mohammed Bulama, was quoted as saying on state television that the assailants killed 21 people returning from the funeral on Saturday and another 44 people when they tried to regroup to defend themselves.
Others were injured, he said, and the death toll may rise.
President Muhammadu Buhari condemned the attack and directed the military to hunt down the perpetrators.
Borno state is the epicenter of the Islamist insurgency. Over the decade-long conflict, militants have killed thousands and millions have fled from their homes in the region.
After the attack Saturday, one resident, Bakura Mallam Amadu, said he had seen the insurgents gather before firing on the funeral attendees. A security official said the extremists had attacked from motorbikes and vans.
Nigeria’s military declined to comment.
Mr. Buhari won a second term in February promising to improve security in Nigeria.
Nigeria’s government says Boko Haram and I.S.W.A. have been largely defeated and driven out of territory they once held, but they continue to attack both civilian and military targets.
Source : Nytimes
