Suspected Boko Haram terrorists killed 15 farmers in Marte Local Government Area of Borno State on Wednesday evening, September 30, 2026, with three other victims still unaccounted for as of Friday, October 2, 2026. The Borno State Police Command confirmed the incident through its Public Relations Officer, Nahum Daso, who said investigations were ongoing.
Police Confirm Attack and Casualties
Daso confirmed the attack, stating: "Yes, there was an attack in Marte. 15 people were killed while others are still missing. Efforts are ongoing to determine their whereabouts." He added that details remained sketchy and that the police would issue an update once data gathering was complete.
The attack took place across farmlands in the Ala and Musune wards of the local government area. Community sources said the victims were peasant farmers and firewood gatherers, a group that included young men, married men, and elders going about their daily routines.
How the Borno Attack Unfolded
A local source, who asked not to be named, described how the attackers cornered the victims before killing them. "They were ambushed by terrorists while carrying out their daily work, bound, forced to lie down, and executed at close range," the source said. The same source alleged that some of the victims were decapitated, making identification difficult.
"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 added. Another community member said residents retrieved the bodies from the farm and conducted burials in line with Islamic rites. Only 15 of the 18 people who went to the farms that day have been found and laid to rest, while the search for the remaining three continues.
Amnesty International Condemns the Attack
Human rights organisation Amnesty International issued a statement on Friday, October 2, condemning the killings. The organisation described the victims as local residents who had ventured into surrounding bush to gather firewood for their livelihoods or household use.
"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 statement read. It noted that the targeting of civilians by non-state actors was a grave violation of international humanitarian law.
The organisation called on Nigerian authorities to act swiftly. "Amnesty International calls on the Nigerian authorities to take immediate, transparent, and human-rights-compliant measures to protect vulnerable communities living in the region," the statement said. Marte LGA, situated near Lake Chad in the far north of Borno State, has been one of the areas most persistently affected by insurgent activity in the country's north-east.
Broader Insecurity in Nigeria
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that armed groups, criminal kidnappers, and terrorists abducted 91 health workers and killed 15 others across 101 separate attacks on Nigerian healthcare facilities between 2023 and 2025, according to a new international report. The figures come from the 'Care in the Crosshairs: Violence Against Health Care in Conflict 2025' report, published by the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition. The data was compiled using Insecurity Insight's global monitoring system and covers incidents across the three-year window.
