Boko Haram kills 23 mourners after Nigeria funeral

International Desk: Boko Haram gunmen on Saturday killed 23 mourners in Borno state in Nigeria's restive northeast after they attended a funeral, local militia and residents said.

At about 10:30 GMT, the attackers on three motorbikes opened fire on a group of men as they walked back from a funeral in Nganzai district near the state capital Maiduguri, local militia leader Bunu Bukar Mustapha said.

"Our men recovered 23 dead bodies from the scene of the attack, which happened this morning," Mustapha said.

The men were returning to Badu Kuluwu from nearby Goni Abachari village where they had attended funeral prayers for a relative, said Mustapha.

A Nganzai district official confirmed both the incident and death toll.

"I received calls from Nganzai that Boko Haram killed 23 people near Badu Kuluwu this morning," said the official, who asked not to be identified for his own safety.

Local hunters and militia recovered the bodies after survivors returned to the village and alerted them, Nganzai resident Saleh Masida said. Boko Haram fighters have been repeatedly attacking Nganzai district.

In September last year, the group killed eight people and stole livestock in two villages in the area after residents tried to stop them from taking their animals.

risingbd/July 28, 2019/Mukul