Daijiworld Media Network – Abuja

Abuja, May 19: In one of the deadliest assaults in recent times, militants from the Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad (JAS) faction of Boko Haram attacked the villages of Mallam Karamti and Kwatandashi in Nigeria's Borno State on May 15, resulting in at least 57 fatalities and over 70 individuals reported missing.

Eyewitnesses recounted that the insurgents accused villagers of collaborating with the rival Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). The militants gathered more than 100 residents, forcing them into the surrounding bush. By Saturday, 57 bodies had been recovered, many bearing signs of execution. The search for the missing continues, hampered by security concerns and the absence of military support.

This massacre underscores the escalating violence in northeastern Nigeria. Earlier in the week, ISWAP militants overran a Nigerian Army battalion in Marte, killing several soldiers and seizing weapons. Additionally, a roadside bomb exploded along the Maiduguri-Damboa road, killing four people and injuring ten others.

Since 2009, the Boko Haram insurgency has claimed over 35,000 lives and displaced approximately 2.6 million people across Nigeria and neighboring countries. Despite government assertions of progress, such attacks highlight the persistent threat posed by extremist groups in the region.