Suspected Boko Haram terrorists have killed 15 farmers in the Ala and Musune wards of Marte Local Government Area in Borno State.
Our correspondent learned that the victims were ambushed on their farmlands on Wednesday evening.
Sources say that of the 18 people who went to the farms, only 15 bodies were recovered and buried on Thursday, while three others are still missing. ↻
Nahum Daso, the Public Relations Officer of the Borno State Police Command, who confirmed the incident on Friday, stated that efforts were underway to locate the missing persons.
“Yes, there was an attack in Marte. 15 people were killed while others are still missing. Efforts are ongoing to determine their whereabouts,” he said.
The PPRO stated that information about the incident remained unclear and added that the police would inform the public once they had finished gathering the facts.
Local sources who talked to our correspondents reported that those killed were peasant farmers and firewood collectors, among them young men, married men, and elders. ↻
One of the sources, who asked not to be named, said the victims were ambushed as they went about their daily activities.
“They were ambushed by terrorists while carrying out their daily work, bound, forced to lie down, and executed at close range,” the source said.
The source went on to claim that a number of the victims had been beheaded.
“Many people were killed. Some were not even recognizable. So far, we have buried 15 out of the 18; we are currently searching for three persons,” the source said.
A second source reported that residents recovered the bodies from the scene and buried them in line with Islamic rites.
“It was after the incident that community members picked their bodies from the farm where they were massacred. The bodies found have been buried according to Islamic rites,” the source said.
In the meantime, the human rights group Amnesty International condemned the attack, calling the killings horrific.
In a statement issued on Friday, the organization stated that the killings amounted to a serious breach of international humanitarian law.
“Amnesty International strongly condemns the horrific killing of at least 15 people on Thursday, 1 October 2026, in Marte Local Government Area of Borno State, Northeast Nigeria.
“The victims, who were local residents venturing into the surrounding bush to gather firewood to earn a living or cook for their families, were ambushed and targeted by a suspected Boko Haram group,” the statement read.
It added that the targeting of civilians by non-state actors amounted to a serious breach of international humanitarian law.
“Amnesty International calls on the Nigerian authorities to take immediate, transparent, and human-rights-compliant measures to protect vulnerable communities living in the region,” the statement said.
