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At least 50 people were killed on Sunday by Islamist militants in the town of Rann in Nigeria’s northeastern state of Borno, near the border with Cameroon.
More witnesses said Monday.
Since 2009, the area has been plagued by an insurgency led by the militant Islamist group Boko Haram.
According to the UN, the conflict has displaced millions and cost the lives of around 350,000 people as a result of repeated attacks and an Associated humanitarian crisis.
Experts in the conflict say two militant Islamic groups are rampaging in the area. Boko Haram and the Islamic State of West Africa (Iswa).
Local residents in Rann accuse Boko Haram of being behind Sunday’s attacks.
“We all mourn the killing of our innocent people who took place while working on their farmland. We buried 50 people today in Rann. They were clearing their fields ahead of the rainy season, while others were gathering firewood,” a local farmer named Harun Tom said Monday about the attack.
Another farmer named Agid Muhammad, who recently returned home to Rann after living in a camp for displaced persons, describes Sunday’s carnage.
“Large numbers of Boko Haram members riding motorcycles and armed with firearms and machetes surrounded our people who were working on their farms. They took them hostage before killing them one by one, ” Agid Muhammad told Reuters.
“Our people were tied with ropes and slaughtered. As we speak, many individuals remain to be accounted for.«
Nigeria’s military has not responded to requests for comment.
/ ritzau/Reuters
