Suspected Terr*rists Ambush Claims 15 Farmers' Lives in Borno

A recent tragic incident in Borno State saw suspected Boko Haram militants reportedly kill fifteen farmers within the Marte Local Government Area. The victims, primarily from the Ala and Musune wards, were ambushed on their farmlands on Wednesday evening.

Reports indicate that out of eighteen individuals who ventured to the farms, only fifteen bodies were recovered and buried on Thursday, leaving three persons still missing. Confirming the unfortunate event to PUNCH Online on Friday, Nahum Daso, the Public Relations Officer for the Borno State Police Command, stated, “Yes, there was an attack in Marte. 15 people were killed while others are still missing. Efforts are ongoing to determine their whereabouts.” Daso added that detailed information surrounding the incident remained scarce, promising further updates to the public once data collection was complete.

Local sources who spoke with correspondents revealed that the deceased were subsistence farmers and firewood gatherers, including young men, married men, and elders. An anonymous source described how the victims were ambushed by terr*rists during their daily activities, bound, forced to lie down, and then executed at close range. The source further alleged that some of the victims were decapitated, making identification difficult. “Many people were killed. Some were not even recognisable. So far, we have buried 15 out of the 18; we are currently searching for three persons,” the source explained. Another community member confirmed that the retrieved bodies were collected from the scene and interred according to Islamic rites. “It was after the incident that community members picked their bodies from the farm where they were massacred. The bodies found have been buried according to Islamic rites,” the source said.

Meanwhile, human rights organisation Amnesty International has vehemently condemned the attack, describing the killings as horrific and a severe breach of international humanitarian law. In a statement issued on Friday, Amnesty International highlighted the incident, which it stated occurred on Thursday, October 1, 2026, in Marte Local Government Area. The statement read, “Amnesty International strongly condemns the horrific killing of at least 15 people on Thursday, 1 October 2026, in Marte Local Government Area of Borno State, Northeast Nigeria.” It further detailed that “The victims, who were local residents venturing into the surrounding bush to gather firewood to earn a living or cook for their families, were ambushed and targeted by a suspected Boko Haram group.” The organisation reiterated that the targeting of civilians by non-state actors constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law and called upon Nigerian authorities to implement “immediate, transparent, and human-rights-compliant measures to protect vulnerable communities living in the region.”