Boko Haram kills 31 fishermen in Lake Chad Basin

THIRTY-ONE fishermen were reportedly on Saturday and Sunday killed by members of the dreaded sect, Boko Haram, on the Nigerian side of the Lake Chad region in Borno State.

The incident occurred at Duguri and Dabar-Wanzam fishing communities in the Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State.

A source disclosed to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that 14 people were killed at Duguri while 17 others were killed at Dambar-Wanzam.

Confirming the incident, on Tuesday, Borno State governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, said the attack indicated that the insurgents were still unleashing terror on the state and the Lake Chad basin.

Shettima made the disclosure at the presentation of relief materials donated by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to the internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Maiduguri, the state capital.

Shettima noted that the military and other security agencies were yet to verify the report.

“Somebody called me this morning and informed me that the insurgents had killed 31 fishermen in the Lake Chad Basin.

“The security agencies have not commented on the attack; so, you cannot confirm it.

“This shows the level of crisis we faced in Borno, as the so-called Jihadists continued with their inhuman acts in the Lake Chad Basin,” Shettima said.

He, however, commended the efforts of the military toward ending insurgency and ensuring that peace returned to the North-East region.

NAN reported that the lifting of ban on fishing by the military attracted thousands of fishermen to the area.

The military had earlier banned fishing on the Nigerian side of the lake, following accusations that Boko Haram was using proceeds from fishing to fund its armed campaign.

In another development, factional leader of Boko Haram, Abu Musad al-Barnawi, has said the Abubakar Shekau-led faction of the insurgent group will be defeated by the Nigerian military.

Al-Barnawi, the son of Yusuf, disclosed this in a video uploaded on YouTube.

A year ago, the Islamic State (IS), an affiliate of Boko Haram, named him as the new leader of the terrorist sect.

He said Shekau had gone against the objectives of the insurgent group.

“Muhammad Yusuf and the rest of the Mujahiddeen (commanders) have sacrificed their lives, leaving people like Shekau who violates quotes from the Holy Qur’an and refused to take advice or other people’s opinions.

“How can you succeed against the Nigerian government (infidel) when indiscriminately attacking innocent people, ordinary Muslims, without sufficient grounding? How can you succeed when you kill orphans?

“Apart from the wanton killing and destruction of human lives, Abubakar Shekau also sees anyone who doesn’t agree with his ideology as ‘Kufur’, which literary means an act of infidelity,” he said in the video.

He said Boko Haram was created by Muhammad Yusuf for the purpose of propagating the good teachings and practice of Islam, but that it has now become