New information has emerged regarding the rescue team that deployed yesterday to locate and inter the remains of victims from the weekend attack on the Dumba community in Borno by Boko Haram/ISWAP forces. This attack resulted in the deaths of numerous farmers and fishermen.
Dumba, nestled on the shores of Lake Chad near Baga in Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno, is a small yet thriving farming and fishing community.
A community rescue team, made up of locals, hunters, vigilantes, and members of the Civilian Joint Task Force, set out over the weekend to recover bodies after a tragic attack. It's now been more than 24 hours, and they still haven’t returned.
Hey there! Just wanted to update you on a situation in our community. A group of local youths, alongside some vigilantes, hunters, and members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), ventured into the bush on Tuesday to recover the bodies of those who tragically lost their lives.
Unfortunately, they haven't made it back home yet. It's a tense time, and we're all hoping for their safe return.
"I can’t provide the exact number of individuals who are still unaccounted for at the moment, and their current circumstances remain uncertain.
However, I promise to keep you updated on any developments," a source shared with our reporter earlier today.
New details shared have revealed that the situation is even more heartbreaking than we initially thought. It appears that more than 50 civilians who were part of a rescue mission may have fallen victim to another ambush orchestrated by the terrorists.
A troubling situation: the rescue team encountered a surprise attack while they were either burying or heading to bury some of the bodies they had recovered.
It appears that the terrorists anticipated the burial would take place after their assault, which led them to target the burial site in hopes of inflicting further harm on those present.
'The soldiers in the unit did their utmost to fend off the assault, but still many did not come back after the ambush,' our most recent informant, who preferred to remain unnamed, stated.
He mentioned that out of the 54 civilians in the rescue team, merely one has returned so far.
The returnee, from whom our informant obtained this information, stated 'they were attacked while interring over 50 of the bodies they recovered.'
He further stated that they were unable to bury no less than 15 due to the ambush.
The informant added that members of the community are requesting the government to relocate them to a safer area until security and order are restored.
The source added that members of the community are appealing to the government to evacuate them to a safer location until security and order is restored.
The Government of Borno had previously indicated that community members ventured into a region that the military had identified as still dangerous, which contributed to the attack.
While the community members also affirmed this, they mentioned that they gained access to the farmlands and fishing areas within the community after they paid certain 'levies' to the terrorists.
However, they ultimately fell out because the terrorists believed that the farmers and fishermen were sharing intelligence with the military regarding their locations and activities.
Consequently, the attack was intended to 'punish' them for violating the 'pact' of non-interference that had been established between them.
