Yobe state in Nigeria’s northeastern region experienced a series of brutal attacks that resulted in the devastating loss of at least 37 lives between Monday and Tuesday, according to reliable sources. 

Sources say 17 individuals lost their lives in an attack that occurred on Monday night. Tragically, as a group gathered the next day to bury the victims, more than 20 of them fell victim to another attack — this time caused by a landmine as they were driving back home.

The first incident unfolded on Monday evening when armed men, believed to be members of ISWAP, a breakaway faction of Boko Haram, targeted Nguro Kaiyeya, an agrarian community in Geidam Local Government Area of Yobe. The incident deeply shook the entire state, leaving a profound impact. 

In a show of solidarity, villagers from neighbouring Geidam town came together in large numbers to collectively lay their loved ones to rest.

After attending a mass funeral and expressing their condolences to the grieving villagers, those who had arrived in several open vans began their journey back to their respective homes. 

Sadly, one of the vans unknowingly drove over landmines that had been strategically planted along their route, resulting in a catastrophic explosion that claimed the lives of over 20 individuals, as reported by local sources.

“This is one of the most horrific attacks by Boko Haram in recent times,” voiced Babagana, a local driver residing in Geidam town. 

“When we first received the shocking news that Nguro Kayeiya had been attacked and 17 lives were lost, we thought we had witnessed the worst. However, for a burial party to be attacked shortly after the loss of their loved ones is beyond horrific.” 

Bashir Idris, a resident of Geidam, provided first-hand information to HumAngle via phone, emphasizing that the village of Nguro Sayeiya had become the primary target. 

He stated, “There is no doubt about it—the death toll from these two attacks exceeds 40.” He further highlighted that this attack was unprecedented for that specific area. 

A disturbing video circulated on Facebook, revealing the hardships faced by villagers as they laid to rest and prepared around 17 bodies from the Monday attack in Nguro Sayeiya. 

The mourning villagers were seen using improvised materials like rags and makeshift stretchers crafted from wood and guinea corn stalks to convey the corpses. Tragically, many of the individuals shown in the video also lost their lives only a few hours later during the landmine explosion. 

Following an emergency security meeting chaired by the Yobe state governor,  Maimala Buni, his Special Adviser on Security Matters, Brig. Gen. Abdulsalam Dahiru (rtd), explained that the recent security challenge in some villages in Geidam was as a result of the infiltration of suspected insurgents into the state.

The security adviser who addressed the local press in Damaturu, the state capital, late Wednesday evening was quoted in a statement signed by the Governor’s spokesperson, Mamman Mohammed, as saying, “Yobe state shares common borders with Borno state, and an international boundary with the Niger Republic. The security agencies have deployed security men to the area and we are studying the report on the infiltration to forestall future occurrences.”

“Meanwhile, calm and normalcy have returned to the affected villages,” he added.

He called on the people to remain vigilant and report suspicious movements and persons in their communities. 

The adviser commended the security agencies for their resilience to check any possible threat in the state.

Meanwhile, a delegation is to visit the community to commiserate with the families of the deceased.