Suspected Islamist militants killed at least 23 farmers and fishermen in Borno State, northeastern Nigeria, on Thursday morning, according to local residents and security sources cited by Reuters.
The attack happened in the village of Malam Karanti. Witnesses said the attackers gathered residents, mostly bean farmers and fishermen, and executed them. An elderly man was spared and later informed others about the killings.
Usman Ali, another resident, told Reuters that villagers tried to retrieve the bodies but the militants chased them away.
The Nigerian Army has yet to comment on the incident.
Boko Haram and its offshoot, Islamic State West Africa Province, are active in the region. Both groups have carried out similar attacks in the past.
In April, Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum acknowledged that Boko Haram had resumed attacks and kidnappings in the state, undoing the previous gains made by security forces.
The insurgency in Nigeria’s northeast has lasted more than a decade, killing over 35,000 people and displacing millions, according to the United Nations.
