ARMED bandits reportedly killed at least 65 people after an attack on a funeral procession in a village near Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

The attack is regarded as one of the deadliest on civilians recently, according to reports.

The attackers had shot at mourners on their way from a funeral in Nganzai district near Maiduguri.

Mohammed Bulama, Council chairman of the local government who spoke to reporters stated that 21 people were killed while returning from the funeral on Saturday and another 44 people also died when they tried to regroup to defend themselves.

President Muhammadu Buhari, in a statement on Sunday, through his Special Assistant on media, Garba Shehu, condemned the attack on the mourners.

He said that he had received assurances from the armed forces that the terrorists who committed these killings “will pay a big price for their action.

“The federal government is firmly and resolutely committed to taking all necessary measures to safeguard the nation’s security. This administration is determined to end the menace of terrorism,” the statement reads.

He said a major exercise has begun to hunt down the attackers with air patrols by the nation’s Air Force and ground operations by the army.

The president assures the residents of Maiduguri and the citizens settled in IDP camps that they will receive increased protection from further attacks by the assailants.

It is unclear which particular group was responsible for the attacks as the Boko Haram group and its splinter rival group Islamic State in West Africa, ISWA, usually carry out attacks in the area.

Vigilantes and local hunters have taken up arms to safeguard local residents with increased complaints that the military does not do enough to defend them.

Boko Haram, which seeks to establish an Islamic caliphate in northern Nigeria, has carried out several attacks across Northern Nigeria, including in Abuja.

The group’s activities have, however, been contained within Adamawa, Borno and Yobe by security operatives since 2016.