Boko Haram terrorists on Saturday killed 19 Fulani herders in Borno, militia sources and residents told AFP on Sunday.
The Fulani herders were said to have pursued Boko Haram terrorists targeting their cattle, sparking a fierce gunfight outside Fuhe Village near Ngala, close to the border with Cameroon, leading to the killings.
“The insurgents killed 19 of the herdsmen in the fight,” anti-jihadist militia leader, Umar Kachalla, told AFP.
Bodies of the slain herders were brought to the police by militiamen, Kachalla said.
Boko Haram has increasingly targeted farmers, herders and loggers, accusing them of spying and passing information to the military and local militia fighting them.
They have also been raiding herding communities, seizing cattle — a valuable commodity in the region — to fund their operations.
Boko Haram and rival Islamic State West Africa Province are known to operate in areas around Ngala and the neighbouring town of Gamboru.
