Borno State has again been hit by the deadly activities of Boko Haram, with at least 23 lives lost in two separate incidents on Monday.
In Chibok, seven mourners were gunned down during a third-day prayer ceremony for a community leader, while in Kala Balge, an IED explosion claimed the lives of several commuters, including women and children.
The Chibok attack occurred around 6 pm in a local community where mourners had gathered for the final prayers of their deceased leader.
Boko Haram terrorists reportedly stormed the area and opened fire, resulting in the immediate death of seven men. Several others at the prayer gathering sustained gunshot injuries of varying degrees.
In a separate and equally tragic incident, an unspecified number of commuters, including women and children, were killed when their vehicles detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) near Rann, the headquarters of Kala Balge Local Government Area.
The IED, believed to have been planted by Boko Haram terrorists, exploded approximately eleven kilometers from Rann, in a border area near the fringes of Lake Chad, as the vehicles were en route to Gamboru Ngala.
Sources from the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) reported that the explosion in Kala Balge happened on Monday morning and resulted in the deaths of at least four women, six children, and an unspecified number of men, all of whom were commuters.
Additionally, three other passengers, including a child, a woman, and a man, sustained injuries and were promptly evacuated to medical facilities in Gamboru Ngala and Rann for urgent medical attention.
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Kala Balge, a border LGA situated on the fringes of Lake Chad, is known for its challenging terrain, lacking proper road access and often becoming inaccessible during the rainy season, further complicating security and humanitarian efforts in the area.
The resurgence of these attacks underscores the concerns raised by the Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, during a recent visit by a federal government delegation.
Governor Zulum emphasized the porous nature of Nigeria’s borders, which he stated allows Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists to regroup and launch attacks on communities with relative ease.
He asserted that until the issue of border security is effectively addressed, the safety of Nigerian citizens remains under threat.
These latest incidents follow a disturbing pattern of violence in the region. Just seventy-two hours prior, terrorists killed fourteen farmers and two CJTF members in border communities within Gwoza LGA.
Furthermore, on Sunday, ten Civilian JTF members lost their lives in an ambush by Boko Haram terrorists during a routine patrol along Hawul in Borno and Garkida in Adamawa.