23 Fishermen, Farmers Killed in Terror Attack in Nigeria

Borno State, Nigeria — Twenty-three fishermen and farmers were slaughtered, and some others abducted, in a suspected Islamist extremist attack this week in northeast Nigeria's Borno State, security sources and local residents said.

Nigeria's northeast has long been beset by a years-long insurgency fought by Boko Haram and its splinter group, the Islamic State West Africa Province.

The attack took place Thursday morning in the Malam Karanti village. The militants gathered local farmers and fishermen and shot 23 of them, leaving only a lone elderly man who ran and alerted the people.

Villagers' attempts to recover the bodies of the victims were unsuccessful when militants drove them back, a resident reported.

The governor of Borno State recently confirmed a surge in Boko Haram kidnappings and attacks over the last month, a setback from recent advances in security.

The Nigerian military has not responded to the attack despite multiple requests.