At least 15 farmers and other residents have been killed in a suspected Boko Haram attack around Ala and Musune wards of Marte Local Government Area of Borno State, with three others still missing.
The victims were among 18 people who had reportedly gone to their farms and surrounding areas to carry out their daily activities before they were ambushed by suspected terrorists on Wednesday evening.
The Borno State Police Command confirmed the attack on Friday, saying efforts were ongoing to establish the whereabouts of the three missing persons and gather further details about the incident.
The Command’s Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Nahum Daso, said 15 people were killed in the attack while efforts continued to locate those still missing.
“Yes, there was an attack in Marte. 15 people were killed while others are still missing. Efforts are ongoing to determine their whereabouts,” Daso said.
The police spokesman said details of the incident remained sketchy, adding that the Command would provide further information after completing its data-gathering efforts.
The attack has heightened concerns over the vulnerability of farming and rural communities in Marte, an area that has remained exposed to attacks by insurgents operating in parts of Borno State.
Local sources said the victims included peasant farmers and firewood gatherers, among them young men, married men and elderly residents who had ventured into the area to earn a living or provide for their families.
One of the sources, who requested anonymity for security reasons, alleged that the victims were ambushed while carrying out their activities and subsequently killed by the attackers.
“They were ambushed by terrorists while carrying out their daily work, bound, forced to lie down, and executed at close range,” the source alleged.
The source further claimed that some of the victims were decapitated, although the police had yet to independently confirm the allegation.
“Many people were killed. Some were not even recognisable. So far, we have buried 15 out of the 18; we are currently searching for three persons,” the source said.
Community members were said to have retrieved the bodies from the area following the attack and taken them back for burial.
Another resident said the victims had been buried in accordance with Islamic rites after their bodies were recovered from the farms where the attack occurred.
“It was after the incident that community members picked their bodies from the farm where they massacred them. The bodies found have been buried according to Islamic rites,” the source said.
The latest attack has also drawn condemnation from Amnesty International, which described the killing of the civilians as a serious violation of international humanitarian law.
In a statement issued on Friday, the organisation said at least 15 people were killed in Marte on Thursday, October 1, 2026, after they reportedly ventured into surrounding bush areas to gather firewood for their livelihoods and families.
“Amnesty International strongly condemns the horrific killing of at least 15 people on Thursday, 1 October 2026, in Marte Local Government Area of Borno State, Northeast Nigeria,” the organisation said.
It said the victims were local residents who had gone into the surrounding bush to gather firewood either to earn a living or provide fuel for their families.
“The victims, who were local residents venturing into the surrounding bush to gather firewood to earn a living or cook for their families, were ambushed and targeted by suspected Boko Haram group,” the statement added.
Amnesty International said the targeting of civilians by non-state armed groups constituted a grave violation of international humanitarian law and urged the Nigerian authorities to strengthen protection for vulnerable communities in the region.
“Amnesty International calls on the Nigerian authorities to take immediate, transparent, and human-rights-compliant measures to protect vulnerable communities living in the region,” it said.
The organisation also called for appropriate action to ensure that civilians living in areas affected by insurgency are able to access their farms and other sources of livelihood without being exposed to attacks.
The deaths have further underscored the risks faced by rural residents in communities where insecurity has restricted farming, firewood collection and other livelihood activities.
For the affected community, the immediate priority remains locating the three people still missing and establishing the full circumstances surrounding the attack.
The police said their investigation and information-gathering efforts were continuing, with further details expected once the Command has established the facts surrounding the incident.
West Trybe reports that the killing of 15 residents in Marte underscores the continuing danger faced by civilians seeking to farm or gather firewood in parts of Borno, while the search for three missing persons remains ongoing.
