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It’s no lie: dozens killed in northern Nigeria massacre

“Stop spreadin lies against Northern Nigeria. Until they show us d bodies of slayed #Victims by #Bandits & deir Parents. All na Lie,” reads a message posted on Facebook on 29 November 2020 and viewed by thousands.

Overlapping tensions between the north and the south have long been a factor in Nigeria. To bridge the divide, presidential candidates from one region usually select a running partner from the other to broaden their appeal.

The message is questioning whether there has been a recent massacre in the north, and demanding evidence. We checked.



‘Entire country hurt by killings’


Unfortunately, a massacre did happen. At least 110 farmers in northeastern Nigeria were murdered in late November, according to the United Nations. Early reporting has been that 70 civilians died in the attack in the conflict-ravaged state of Maiduguri.

Forty-three of the victims were buried on 29 November with the governor of the state, Babaganan Umara Zulum, in attendance.

Several national and international media houses carried photos of the burial.

Nigeria president Muhammadu Buhari decried the “senseless” massacre. “I condemn the killing of our hard-working farmers by terrorists in Borno state. The entire country is hurt by these senseless killings,” he said via his spokesman.

The media reported that no-one had claimed responsibility for the attack. Nonetheless, the armed group Boko Haram and its splinter faction, the Islamic State in West Africa Province, are active in the region.

While there’s no evidence of a conspiracy to accuse the north of these atrocities, a massacre did take place in northern Nigeria, with dozens of people killed. – Africa Check




 

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