FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CONDEMNS GRUESOME KILLING OF 15 NIGERIANS IN BURKINA FASO

February 7, 2023

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Farouq Oduola A.

The Federal government of Nigeria has condemned the gruesome killing of 15 Nigerian pilgrims in Burkina Faso by unknown gunmen that occurred on the 1^st of February.

The Nigerian government expressed its shock at the tragic incident in a statement issued by the ministry of foreign affairs on Tuesday, February 7 and signed by the spokesperson Francisca K. Omayuli.

According to the statement, the Nigerian government was in touch with Burkinabe authorities and awaiting the outcome of their investigation into the incident.

The pilgrims who belonged to the Tijjaniya group, were traveling in a convoy of buses their way to a religious ceremony in Senegal from Niger and Nigeria on Wednesday. They were said to be traveling through conflict hotspots in northern Burkina Faso before unidentified assailants attacked their buses and killed 18 passengers.

Burkina Faso is battling armed groups with links to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS) that spilled over from neighbouring Mali in 2015.

Rebel fighters have spread over the tri-border area between Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger and encroached on coastal West African states despite costly international efforts to stop them.