Dungus Abdulkarim, Yobe police spokesperson, said gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram insurgents, looted and set ablaze shops and houses in Mafa village of Tarmuwa LGA.
Abdulkarim said the gunmen killed an “unspecified number of people and dropped some fliers with Arabic inscriptions”.
A letter penned in Arabic revealed the group’s motive, citing the village’s alleged military ties as justification.
Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency publication focused on the Lake Chad region, had said the attack occurred during Magrib prayer, when the gunmen shot sporadically into the gathering.
Makama said 34 worshippers were killed, adding that the gunmen also laid multiple explosives on the path to the village.
On Tuesday, the military evacuated 34 corpses from the affected community to Babbangida general hospital, ahead of a mass burial, while decomposed bodies were interred at the scene.
In a post on X, the Saudi Arabia embassy condemned the attack, describing it as “treacherous”.
“The Embassy expresses the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s condemnation and denunciation of the treacherous terrorist attack that took place in Yobe State, northeastern Nigeria, which resulted in a number of deaths and injuries,” the post reads.
“The Embassy reiterates the Kingdom’s complete rejection of violence, terrorism, and extremism. The Kingdom also expresses its sincere condolences and sympathy to the families of the deceased and the government and people of Nigeria.”
