The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, announced plans to deploy additional soldiers to Yobe State following a deadly terror attack on Mafa village in Tarmuwa Local Government Area that left at least 34 villagers dead. The attack, which occurred on Sunday, saw insurgents massacre residents and torch several homes.
General Musa disclosed the military’s response when he received Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni in Abuja on Wednesday. Governor Buni sought military support to address the escalating security crisis in the state, a concern echoed by the Northern State Governors’ Forum (NSGF), which condemned the attack and demanded that the perpetrators be brought to justice.
From the report gotten the bodies of the victims were recovered from the bush and buried on Tuesday. Yobe’s Deputy Governor, Idi Gubana, led a government delegation to the village to offer condolences.
Governor Buni, deeply concerned about the increasing frequency of terrorist incursions, particularly in border communities, emphasized the urgency of addressing these attacks during his discussion with the CDS. “There have been significant improvements in security across the state, except for these recent incursions,” Buni noted. “We need to find a lasting solution to these attacks on our border communities, where lives are lost and properties looted.”
In response, General Musa pledged to deploy more troops and implement new strategies to combat the terrorist threat. He also stressed the importance of collaboration between the military and local communities to effectively curb the movements of these criminal elements.
The Chairman of the NSGF, Gombe State Governor Muhammadu Yahaya, also condemned the attack, calling it a “senseless act of violence” and urging security agencies to ensure the perpetrators are swiftly brought to justice. “This brutal act must not go unpunished,” Yahaya stated, reaffirming the commitment of northern governors to restoring peace and security in the region.
In a related development, the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Nigeria issued a strong condemnation of the Yobe attack, describing it as “treacherous.” The embassy reiterated the Kingdom’s firm stance against violence, terrorism, and extremism, offering condolences to the families of the victims and the Nigerian government.
The terror attack, which involved militants reportedly riding over 50 motorcycles, has left the local community in mourning. Although initial reports confirmed 34 casualties, eyewitnesses suggest the death toll could exceed 100. The victims were laid to rest in a mass burial on Tuesday in Babangida, the headquarters of Tarmuwa Local Government Area. The Nigerian Army, with the help of local vigilantes, led a search-and-rescue operation to recover the bodies.
The Yobe State Police Command confirmed the attack, noting that the insurgents left behind fliers with Arabic inscriptions, further fueling concerns about the spread of extremist ideology in the region.
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