Boko Haram Slaughters Over 17 Farmers and Fishermen in Borno Over Alleged Support for Rival Jihadist Group ISWAP
At least 17 farmers and fishermen have been killed by Boko Haram insurgents in Malam Karanti village, near Baga in Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State, in yet another horrifying attack in Nigeria’s war-torn northeast. The jihadists reportedly accused the victims of collaborating with rival terror faction, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
According to local militia sources, the attack occurred on Thursday afternoon, when the victims were carrying out their routine fishing and farming activities along the shores of Lake Chad.
The assailants stormed the area around 2:00 p.m., opening fire and slaughtering civilians in cold blood. Many more were abducted, and the death toll is expected to rise as search efforts continue.
“So far, we have recovered 17 bodies. The search for more is ongoing,” said Babakura Kolo, a militia commander involved in anti-insurgency operations.
He added that Boko Haram suspects many civilians in the area are sympathetic to ISWAP, a breakaway faction of the group, which is believed to be slightly less hostile towards local communities.
“Fishermen and farmers in the region are often caught between both groups,” he said, “but Boko Haram sees them as collaborators with ISWAP and punishes them accordingly.”
The attack underscores the deepening humanitarian crisis and insecurity in northeast Nigeria, where over 40,000 people have been killed and nearly two million displaced since Boko Haram launched its insurgency in 2009.
Following an ideological rift in 2016, the group split into two factions—Boko Haram, led by Abubakar Shekau until his death in 2021, and ISWAP, which has increasingly asserted control over parts of the Lake Chad region.
Kolo noted that Boko Haram is currently dominant around Lake Chad but is increasingly wary of ISWAP’s resurgence. “They are on edge and eliminating anyone they suspect of siding with their rivals,” he said.
Another militia member, Umar Ari, confirmed the attack and its details, reiterating the 17 confirmed deaths and revealing that the victims were ambushed while fishing and tending crops along the lake’s edge. “It was a targeted attack,” Ari said, “meant to instill fear and maintain Boko Haram’s grip on the region.”
The massacre is part of a broader pattern of violence against civilians, especially those engaged in agriculture and fishing—activities that are crucial for survival in the conflict-ravaged region.
Both Boko Haram and ISWAP have regularly targeted farmers, herders, loggers, and metal scrap collectors, accusing them of spying for the Nigerian military or supporting rival groups.
In January 2025, ISWAP militants murdered at least 40 farmers in Dumba, another Lake Chad community, for allegedly farming without prior authorization. A classified Nigerian intelligence report suggested the real toll may have exceeded 100 victims.
Just last month, Boko Haram struck again in Pulka, a town in Borno State near the Cameroon border, killing 14 farmers in a raid that sent shockwaves across the local government area.
These repeated atrocities have raised urgent concerns about the escalating vulnerability of rural communities in northeast Nigeria and the apparent inability of security forces to effectively secure far-flung villages.
As both Boko Haram and ISWAP continue to battle for dominance and exploit civilians caught in the middle, there is a growing call for a recalibration of military strategy and a more robust civilian protection framework, especially around Lake Chad, a strategic but highly contested region.
Despite efforts by Nigerian security forces and regional coalitions to contain the insurgency, attacks on civilians remain relentless, fueling displacement, hunger, and insecurity.