All 34 individuals whose bodies were recovered following the assault by suspected Boko Haram terrorists on the Mafa community of Yobe State were laid to rest on Tuesday.
Naija News reports that the tragic attack, which took place on Sunday, has been characterized as the most severe attack in the state since the onset of the Boko Haram insurgency 14 years ago.
The mass burial ceremony organized by the Yobe State Government on Tuesday was presided over by the deputy governor of Yobe State, Idi Barde-Gubana, who led the funeral prayers for the deceased.
During the proceedings, the deputy governor conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the victims’ families.
He assured them that the state government would collaborate with the federal government to establish a military presence in the region to avert future assaults.
Additionally, he directed the state emergency management agency to ensure that those displaced by the attack, along with the injured, receive adequate support in camps and medical facilities.
A resident with a physical disability and an eyewitness to the tragic events, Ali Abdullahi, shared his account of the attack with journalists, noting that while many lost their lives and numerous shops were destroyed, he was fortunate to have survived due to his condition.
“It was Boko Haram that came to our community and killed several people. When they saw I had a disability, they asked me to go back. They suspect that we are the ones giving the military information to attack and kill them,” Daily Post quoted the resident saying.
Another resident of Mafa, Zanna Umar, reported that the death toll could be as high as 125.
“Here we buried 34, but there are others who have already buried their dead, about forty in number, and the rest will be buried tomorrow,” he said.
Alongside the burial, the Yobe State Government contributed ₦30 million to support the families impacted by the incident.
The deputy governor emphasized the administration’s dedication to working with security forces to set up a military presence in the region, aiming to enhance security measures and avert future calamities.
ISWAP Claims Responsibility For Yobe Attack That Claimed 87 Lives
Meanwhile, the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) has taken credit for the recent attack where no fewer than 87 people were killed in Yobe State.
Naija News reported earlier that the terrorists struck Mafa town around 4 pm on Sunday, killing residents and burning homes and shops.
Yesterday, reports emerged that the remains of 37 villagers who lost their lives during the attack were recovered.
It was revealed that the bodies of the victims had been taken to Babbangida General Hospital in preparation for a mass burial scheduled for 10 am.
The burial will be attended by Yobe State Deputy Governor, Hon Idi Barde Gubana, along with other senior government officials. It will take place at the Babangida Emir’s Palace, the administrative centre of Tarmuwa LG.
Sources who spoke to Daily Trust earlier noted that no fewer than 87 people were killed by the terrorists in the latest attack.
Subsequently, in a letter in Arabic obtained by the news platform on Tuesday, ISWAP admitted to the attack.
They claimed the village was targeted for supposedly giving information to the military, which resulted in the deaths of their members.
The letter reads: “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.
“You have been tempted to remain safe in your countries. The soldiers of the Caliphate will not harm you, nor threaten you with your money, nor hinder you from any activity of yours, whether agriculture, trade, etc. until you have arrogantly raised yourselves to a position in which you believe that your hands will reach our brothers with harm and remain uninterrupted.
“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, and 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 and who were attacked by their weapons, according to the information we found. We thought that by doing so we had warned you with the language of war, hoping that you would be deterred.
“However, this increased your arrogance and arrogance, so you repeated the same crime in the month of Safar.”
The post Yobe Govt Buries 34 Victims Of Mafa Attack appeared first on Naija News.