BY NEWS DESK, APRIL 30, 2025 | 11:04 PM

Boko Haram terrorists have killed 17 fishermen in the Fadana-Garuwa River, located in the Duji Ward of Mobbar local government area in Northern Borno, near the border with Niger.

The attack occurred on Sunday around 2:00PM, according to local sources.

In a report by Yerwa Express News, approximately 30 armed militants arrived on motorcycles and targeted the fishermen while they were working along the river.

A local source revealed who spoke to the paper, 'They gathered the fishermen and slaughtered all of them as punishment for allegedly siding with the Islamic State West Africa Province faction.'

The fishermen had reportedly been granted access to fish in the river by ISWAP militants, to whom they paid a form of tax. However, a rival Boko Haram faction, believed to be based across the river in Niger, carried out the attack in retaliation.

'This was meant to serve as a warning to others,' the source added.

The bodies of the 17 victims were recovered, and villagers conducted burial rites on Tuesday in accordance with Islamic tradition.

This incident comes amid a renewed escalation in attacks by both ISWAP and Boko Haram factions on civilians and military targets.

Recent discussions between Nigeria's federal and state ministers of defense and Borno State Governor Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum focused on the deteriorating security situation across the state.

Gov. Zulum warned, 'These attackers are not just regrouping—they are evolving. The use of drones in combat is now a reality we cannot ignore.'

He cited the recent attack in Wulgo, where troops were overwhelmed by drone-assisted bombings.

There is growing concern that recent gains in the fight against insurgency could be reversed if urgent and decisive military action is not taken.

Security sources disclosed that many of the recent assaults were carried out by a newly arrived elite unit of Boko Haram fighters, numbering fewer than 300, equipped with sophisticated weaponry, including fighter drones and heavy machinery.