The Yobe government donates N30 million to the families of the slain persons in Mafa.
Over 150 suspected Boko Haram terrorists armed with rifles and RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades) attacked Mafa ward on more than 50 motorcycles,” said Dungus Abdulkarim, a police spokesman in Yobe State where the village is located.
“They killed many people and burned many shops and houses.
Abdulkarim said the attack was apparent retaliation for the killing of two Boko Haram members by the vigilantes.
The Yobe State Government has announced that a total of 34 people were killed in Sunday’s Boko Haram attack in Mafa, Tarmuwa Local Government Area.
The 34 victims were buried on Tuesday in Babangida, the headquarters of Tarmuwa local government, The attack during which the terrorists also burnt several houses and shops, and hundreds of residents were displaced as a result of the attack.
34 people were found dead, while five persons sustained injuries,” Dahiru Abdulsalam, Governor Mala Buni’s special adviser on security matters, told the journalist on Tuesday. Four are in critical condition, while the other, sustained a minor injury and he is in stable condition.”
Mr Abdulsalam suggested that the location of Mafa makes residents there soft targets for the Boko Haram.
”Any information apart from this is just a rumour. Nobody has gone to Mafa yesterday other than the troops, who brought these bodies.
”The insurgents are not confronting the military; they are confronting innocent civilians who are soft targets,” he said.
At the burial, the Yobe State Government announced the donation of N30 million to the families of the victims of the attack.
Idi Gubana, the state’s deputy governor, made the announcement when he led a delegation to the burial ceremony.
He condoled with the Emir of Jajere, Buba Mashio, and the people of the area over the dastardly act.
Mr Gubana directed the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to provide shelter and food items to the displaced persons who lost all their belongings as a result of the attack.
He stated that Governor Buni, who was utterly devastated by the killings, had visited the Chief of Defence Staff, Christopher Musa, over sustainable security in Mafa.
The deputy governor noted that the deployment of sufficient troops in Mafa – located at the border of Borno and Yobe – would prevent future attacks in the trade hub.
He prayed to Allah to repose the souls of the deceased and grant their immediate families the fortitude to bear the loss.
In a statement by his spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale, the president also extended his condolences to bereaved families.
