Dozens of Boko Haram insurgents on motorcycles stormed the riverbanks near Mukdolo village, a remote settlement in Gamboru-Ngala Local Government Area along the Nigeria-Cameroon border. The fishermen, many of whom were internally displaced persons (IDPs) from nearby Dikwa town, were sorting their daily catch when the attackers surrounded them. According to survivor accounts, the insurgents had previously warned locals to stay away from the river, declaring it their exclusive territory. The attackers ordered the fishermen to lie down, wrapped them in their own fishing nets, tortured them until they lost consciousness, and then opened fire — killing them instantly. Some fishermen attempted to flee but were pursued and shot.

Perpetrators

Boko Haram

Response

Nigerian troops conducted a search‑and‑rescue operation following the attack, recovering bodies from the riverbank and surrounding bushes. The Borno State Government and Dikwa Emirate Council extended condolences to the families. The United Nations issued a formal condemnation, with the Resident Coordinator in Nigeria stating that the UN was "deeply shocked" by the brutality of the attack. The Defence Headquarters initially disputed that the victims were IDPs, arguing they should have remained in camps, but promised to investigate further

Displacement

0

Socioeconomic drivers

The attack was fundamentally driven by competition over scarce natural resources. Boko Haram had declared the river their exclusive territory, warning locals to stay away. Desperate IDPs from Dikwa, however, had no alternative livelihood and risked their lives to fish for survival. The shrinking Lake Chad basin has intensified competition between insurgents and civilians over access to water and fish stocks

Trajectory

This attack introduced a distinctive and brutal signature tactic — wrapping victims in their own fishing nets, torturing them, and then executing them. This represents an escalation in the psychological warfare dimension of the insurgency, designed to maximize terror and deter future civilian engagement in the area.

Cycle notes

This incident mirrors earlier attacks including 17 January 2020 – Gamboru-Ngala fishing corridor massacres involving civilian fishermen targeted along Lake Chad tributaries, 23 April 2020 – Dikwa displacement-zone livelihood attacks affecting IDP populations engaged in informal fishing economies, 12 August 2021 – Abadam waterways killings involving insurgent control of riverine access routes, and multiple 2019–2022 Lake Chad basin resource-conflict incidents, collectively reflecting a recurring operational pattern in which Boko Haram enforces territorial control over shrinking aquatic livelihood zones by violently excluding civilians from fishing routes and riverbank economies.

Pattern

Fishing Community Targeting

Source

• https://dailytrust.com/boko-haram-kills-35-fishermen-in-borno/?share=linkedin&noamp=available