A terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the recent deadly attack in Yobe, providing reasons behind their violent actions.
Yobe State witnessed a vicious assault that led to the demise of 34 villagers and has been attributed to the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) as per their claim.
Around 4 p.m. on Sunday, houses and shops were set ablaze in Mafa town during the attack that occurred.
In a letter written in Arabic, the insurgent group claimed responsibility for the attack and accused the village of supplying information to Nigerian military that resulted in their members being killed.
ISWAP wrote a letter directed towards the heads, mukhtars and inhabitants of Mafa together with neighboring settlements. The group alleged that they had been disloyal to them.
The villagers were cautioned by the group that although they had previously refrained from harming innocent bystanders, their collaboration with the military was exacerbating hostilities.
The opening sentence of the letter read, “To the leaders, mukhtars, residents and farmers residing in Mafa town and its neighboring villages; greetings from West Africa Province’s Caliphate soldiers.”
Read Also: ISWAP Attacks in Borno Result in 15 Fishermen Killed
The group asserted that though they had refrained from hurting innocent civilians initially, the recent conduct of the villagers – purportedly backing military operations against ISWAP – compelled them to act.
In addition, the correspondence expressed that you have caused harm to our fellow brethren within the past few days in Bangaro and its surrounding areas. Furthermore, it states that you aided and empathized with those who had defected from their religious beliefs by participating in murdering members of our faith community. Although we were present within the region at this time, we refrained from inflicting any injury upon your person; instead focusing on solely punishing individuals responsible for spilling bloodshed amongst us.
ISWAP rationalized their attack as retaliation for repeated provocations and betrayal from the villagers. They cautioned that they would take further measures if the villagers persisted in supporting the military.
The persistent security issues in the northeastern region of Nigeria are highlighted by this assault, as groups such as ISWAP carry out acts of violence against communities they suspect of collaborating with Nigerian military forces.
