Twenty-three individuals, mostly farmers and fishermen, were executed by suspected ISWAP fighters on Thursday in Malam Karanti, a remote village near Baga, Kukawa LGA of Borno State.
Reports indicate that the victims had negotiated with a rival Boko Haram group to carry out agricultural and fishing activities in exchange for tax payments.
This alleged collaboration proved fatal when ISWAP fighters, suspecting disloyalty, invaded the village around 9 a.m. and summarily killed them.
According to Zagazola Makama, a media platform monitoring Lake Chad insurgency activities, an eyewitness reported that the insurgents accused the victims of aligning with Boko Haram, thereby undermining ISWAP’s authority.
Only one elderly man was spared in the massacre and was able to return to the community to report the incident.
Recovery operations were cut short when the militants returned and shot at those attempting to recover the bodies.
Governor Babagana Zulum has frequently warned locals against dealing with insurgent groups, emphasizing that such dealings fuel conflict and increase vulnerability to attacks.
“These secret pacts with terrorists often backfire, dragging innocent civilians into deadly rivalries,” he warned in an earlier statement.
A local source said misplaced faith in these militant groups remains a problem. “Many still think paying or negotiating with them ensures peace, but it only leaves them exposed when the factions clash,” the source added.