Suspected Boko Haram insurgents have killed 17 youths in Nguro Kayayya, a community under Kusur Damakarwa Ward in Geidam Local Government Area of Yobe State, over ‘failure to pay tax.’
According to Daily Trust, the insurgents stormed the village around 10pm on Monday, October 30, 2023, gathered the residents in one place and executed selective killings.
“They selected 21 youths who were between the ages of 20 to 30 and shot them at close range, while young children and the old were spared,” a security source told the publication.
“Seventeen died instantly, while the remaining four were rushed to the hospital in critical conditions,”
He said the insurgents took the measure after several warnings to the villagers to pay their taxes but to no avail.
“After the heinous act, they handed another stern warning to the villagers on the consequences of tax evasion before they left,” he said.
While confirming the incident, Babagana Aisami Geidam a human rights activist told this paper that 16 corpses had been buried according to Islamic rites.
He said military personnel had been deployed to the affected village.
The Assistant Director Public Relations Officer, Operation Lafiya Dole, Captain Muhammad Shehu, who confirmed the incident, said that the terrorists also alleged that the villagers were giving information to the troops who were flushing them out of their hideouts.
“They (terrorists) attacked the villagers as revenge for alleging that they are helping us with useful information to flush them out,” Captain Shehu said.
“I cannot give you the accurate number of casualties, but all I knew is that military personnel have been deployed and normalcy has been restored.”
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