The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, said on Wednesday that the military would be deploying more soldiers in Yobe State following Sunday’s terror attack on Mafa village, Tarmuwa Local Government Area, where insurgents massacred at least 34 villagers and set several houses ablaze.
The CDS disclosed this when he received Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, who visited him in Abuja to seek support, following the massacre, which the Northern State Governors’ Forum condemned on Wednesday, demanding that the perpetrators be tracked down and made to pay for their crime.
DECENCY GLOBAL NEWS reported that the bodies of the victims, which were recovered from the bush, were buried on Tuesday, with the state’s Deputy Governor, Idi Gubana, leading a government delegation on a condolence visit to the village on Tuesday.
A statement on Wednesday by the state’s Director General of Media and Press Affairs, Mamman Mohammed, disclosed that Governor Buni went to Abuja on Wednesday to have a talk with the CDS over the security situation in Yobe.
Expressing deep concern over the escalating incursions of terrorists into the state, Governor Buni emphasised the need to address the attacks on soft targets along the borders, where lives are lost and properties are looted.
“Generally, there have been great improvements in security across the state, except for the recent incursion of the terrorists from across the borders, and attacking the border communities.
“Sadly, three days ago, we recorded terrorist attacks on Mafa a border village with Borno State, and a few days earlier in Geidam, a border community with Niger Republic, in which we lost several lives.
“I have discussed extensively with the CDS to find a lasting solution to these incursions and attacks on the border communities.
“l am pleased with his response, and the new strategies he assured to undertake to check the menace and excesses of the terrorists to safeguard the lives and property of our people,” Buni said.
In response, General Musa pledged to deploy additional personnel and implement innovative strategies to curb the movements and attacks by criminal elements in identified areas.
He emphasised the importance of enhanced collaboration between the armed forces and local communities to effectively combat terrorism and other criminal activities nationwide.
“The military would deploy more personnel and new strategies to bring an end to the movements and attacks by the criminals in the identified areas,” the CDS said.
The Chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum and Governor of Gombe State, Muhammadu Yahaya, on Wednesday, strongly condemned the Sunday terror attack.
Yahaya, in a press statement signed on Wednesday by Director-General Press Affairs Gombe Government House Ismaila Misilli, described the attack as a senseless act of violence that had caused immense grief to the affected families and communities.
“This brutal act must not go unpunished. I call on security agencies to double their efforts and ensure that the perpetrators are swiftly brought to justice,” Yahaya stated.
The NSGF Chairman reaffirmed the commitment of northern governors to supporting efforts aimed at restoring peace and security in the region, stressing the importance of collective action to prevent such tragedies from recurring.
Similarly, the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Nigeria strongly condemned the Yobe attack in a post on X handle on Wednesday, described it as “treacherous” and reiterated the Kingdom’s firm stance against violence, terrorism, and extremism.
“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 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,” the post read.
The attack occurred on Sunday, when armed militants, reportedly riding over 50 motorcycles, stormed Mafa village in the Tarmuwa Local Government Area of Yobe State.
According to eyewitnesses, the death toll could exceed 100, although official reports from the state government confirmed 34 casualties.
The victims were laid to rest in a mass burial on Tuesday in Babangida, the headquarters of the Tarmuwa Local Government Area.
The bodies were recovered during a search-and-rescue operation led by the Nigerian Army, with assistance from local vigilantes.
The Yobe State Police Command also confirmed the attack, with its spokesperson, Dungus Abdulkarim, noting that the insurgents left behind fliers with Arabic inscriptions.
