Jihadists have killed 30 persons in a revenge attack after their commanders died in military airstrikes in Nigeria’s northeast Borno state, two militia leaders said Tuesday.
Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports that the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters seized the men in Mudu village in the Dikwa area on Saturday.
ALSO READ: Scores feared killed as Army bombs Boko Haram Commander’s convoy
News of the incident emerged late due to poor communication as a result of the destruction of telecom towers by jihadists in the region.
“Most of the 30 men were slaughtered by ISWAP terrorists while a few who tried to flee were shot,” militia leader Babakura Kolo told AFP from the regional capital, Maiduguri.
“They were metal scrap scavengers who were in the area in search of burnt vehicles which dot villages in northern Borno following attacks by the terrorists,” he said.
ALSO READ: How 10 Boko Haram fighters surrendered to Nigerian Army in Borno — Sources
He said the men had trekked from the town of Rann, 80 kilometres away, where they lived in camps for people displaced by the jihadist violence.
Another militia leader Umar Ari said ISWAP had accused the slain men of passing information on their positions to the military in the area.
“The 30 men were unlucky to have been in the area at that time when the terrorists were grieving the death of their two commanders killed in a military operation,” Ari told AFP.
In recent weeks, Nigerian military have carried out successful ground and air assaults against ISWAP and rival Boko Haram fighters, killing several high-profile Jihadist commanders.