Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, says no fewer than 78 persons were killed by the group in Zabarmari in Jere local government area of Borno State on Saturday.
He stated this in a new video claiming responsibility for the dastardly attack.
The terror leader’s claim negates the official casualty figure of 43 rice farmers which was released by military and government officials.
Shekau explained that the attack was a reprisal against the community members for handing a member of the sect over to the Nigerian military.
According to him, Boko Haram will go after anyone found collaborating with the military to expose the sect’s movements and other activities.
The attack has attracted widespread condemnation from home and abroad, with the United Nations describing it as the “most violent attack” against civilians in 2020.
Meanwhile, the Senate on Tuesday asked President Muhammadu Buhari to sack the nation’s service chiefs and immediately replace them with new ones.
Acccording to the Senate, President Buhari must also immediately rejig the nation’s security architecture.
The Senate said that this had become necessary to protect Nigerians from wanton killings, kidnapping for ransom, and other security challenges.
It was the third such call this year alone, with the president ignoring the first two.
