SW News: In Nigeria's Borno State, suspected jihadists belonging to Boko Haram killed 17 herders and took their cattle, a self-defense militia told AFP on Monday. According to the militiamen, terrorists targeted cattle-guarding herders on Saturday in a pasture close to Airamne village in Mafa district.

Militia leader Babakura Kolo claimed that 17 herders were murdered in the conflict and that all of their animals were confiscated.
Despite putting up a fight, the attackers—who had better weapons—outnumbered and outgunned the herders, according to Kolo.

Targeting civilians, notably loggers, farmers, and herders, Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) accuse them of spying on them for the government and the local anti-jihadist militia.

According to the United Nations, since 2009, jihadist violence in the northeast has claimed the lives of over 40,000 people and forced around two million people from their homes. The killings, kidnappings, and looting in Nigeria's northeast are a result of a larger security crisis. On February 25, 2023, voters will choose a president to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari, who is stepping down after serving the constitutional maximum of two terms.

A recent analysis reveals that thousands of Christians have been murdered by militants in Nigeria in the first 200 days of 2021, which is the greatest number in years. According to the report by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), from the start of 2021 to July 18, at least 3,000 Christians, including 10 priests and pastors, were killed in Nigeria.

When broken down, the number equates to 17 Christians being killed every day in Nigeria, particularly in the States which are the targets of extremely violent militant attacks.

According to the authors of the Intersociety research, the number is also the second highest since 2014, when over 5,000 Christian killings at the hands of Boko Haram and jihadist Fulani herdsmen were documented.
Since 2010, Intersociety, a rights organization that does research and investigations, has been keeping track of and looking into instances of religious violence committed by both State- and non-State actors.