AN attack by Islamist militants on Mukdolo, a remote community in Borno State, resulted in the death of 29 fishermen, with nine others critically injured.

The attack in Mukdolo, in Gamborun Ngala Local Government Area, happened on Wednesday, March 8.

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The state police spokesperson, Sani Kamilu, who confirmed the incident, on Friday linked the attack to the Boko Haram terrorist group.

He said the militants surrounded the village and shot at the fishermen who had been busy fishing.

They killed 29 fishermen and nine others escaped with severe injuries.

Villagers have long abandoned the remote Mukdolo village as it is where the years-long extremist violence is concentrated.

But sometimes, the villagers from Dikwa, a neighbouring village, go there to fish.

“There is no human being in that place because it has been abandoned, but the villagers from Dikwa go there to fish. Unfortunately, this time, Boko Haram surrounded the place and killed them,” Kamilu said.

Kamilu noted that some of the bodies in the Wednesday attacks were recovered and buried on Thursday, March 9.

He also said a policeman was killed in a separate incident.

Meanwhile, the United Nations (UN) has asked the government to investigate the murder of the villagers.

In a statement by the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Matthias Schmale, the UN described the attack as “heinous” and “horrific”.

The organisation empathised with bereaved families and wished the injured a speedy recovery.

The UN also urged “all parties to the conflict to adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law to protect civilians from harm”.

The Boko Haram insurgency has killed thousands of civilians and displaced millions in the North, particularly the Lake Chad region, which straddles Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria.

The country is grappling with a 14 years old insurgency targeted at ending western education and establishing an Islamic state.