Gunmen killed at least 29 people in northeastern Nigeria on Sunday, with local residents reporting that the attackers targeted young people gathered at a football pitch. The attack occurred in Adamawa state, near the Cameroon border, a hotspot for jihadist and criminal violence.

Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, the governor of Adamawa state, visited the scene and confirmed the death toll, his spokesperson said on social media. Witness Philip Agabus told AFP that insurgents entered the football pitch in Guyaku community and began shooting randomly. Another resident, Joshua Usman, said the dead included girls watching the match, and that attackers burned places of worship, houses, and motorcycles.

The governor blamed Boko Haram militants, but the Islamic State's West Africa Province (ISWAP) claimed responsibility, stating it killed at least 25 Christians and torched a church and nearly 100 motorcycles, according to the SITE monitoring group. Fintiri condemned the attack, vowing it would not go unpunished and that security operations would be intensified.

Since 2009, the jihadist insurgency led by Boko Haram and ISWAP has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions in northeastern Nigeria, according to the UN. The conflict has also spread to neighboring Niger, Chad, and Cameroon. Nigeria is now seeking US technical and training support for its troops amid strained relations.

A separate attack occurred Sunday in Lamurde district, over 100 km away, which locals blamed on farmland disputes. Bulus Daniel, a local council chair, confirmed casualties and property loss. Meanwhile, Nigerian security forces rescued 15 pupils after gunmen abducted 23 children and a school proprietor's wife from an unregistered orphanage and school in Kogi state. Commissioner Kingsley Femi Fanwo confirmed the rescues and said efforts to free the remaining victims continue. School kidnappings are rampant in Nigeria due to weak security and ransom demands.

Source: www.theguardian.com