The Yobe State Government has dismissed a report claiming that 84 persons were killed in a bandit attack on the Mafa community in Tarmuwa Local Government Area.
In separate statements issued on Thursday by the Press Secretary to the Tarmuwa council chairman, Bulama Jalaludden, and the Director General of Press and Media Affairs to the Governor, Mamman Mohammed, the government described the report as “false, misleading and baseless.”
The report also quoted the state police spokesperson, Dungus Abdulkarim, as saying that about 150 suspected Boko Haram fighters stormed the village on 50 motorcycles, armed with rifles and rocket-propelled grenades.
The PUNCH had reported on Thursday that at least 84 people were killed in the community, with a mass burial conducted on Wednesday in Babangida, the local government headquarters.
“We have since confirmed that no such incident occurred in Yobe State on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, or in recent times. The reported event actually took place last year,” The PUNCH stated.
“This error arose from a mix-up.
We acknowledge the mistake and deeply regret the mix-up.”
The statement from the Tarmuwa council chairman read, “No such attack has occurred in Mafa or in any part of Tarmuwa Local Government Area in September 2025. No mass burial has taken place, as falsely reported by the said media outlet. The story is completely unfounded, misleading, and a fabrication that does not reflect the true situation on the ground.”
It urged residents to remain calm, assuring that security agencies were working with local authorities to sustain peace in the area.
Similarly, the governor’s media aide said the report had unsettled residents and caused unnecessary psychological distress.
“For the record, Mafa village in Tarmuwa Local Government, and Yobe State generally, has been peaceful with the people pursuing their legitimate businesses. The Yobe State Police Command, the Office of the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security Affairs, and the Tarmuwa council chairman have all debunked the alleged attack and mass burial,” the statement read.
“The public is hereby advised to disregard the report and all its content in totality as it is completely false, baseless, misleading, and without any iota of truth,” it added.
CORRIGENDUM
In our Thursday, September 11, 2025 edition of The PUNCH, we published a story with the headline: “Yobe holds mass burial as bandits kill 84.”
We have since confirmed that no such incident occurred in Yobe State on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, or in recent times.
The reported event actually took place last year.
This error arose from a mix-up.
We acknowledge the mistake and deeply regret the mix-up. We sincerely apologise to the government and people of Yobe State, particularly the Mafa community, for the distress caused by our report.
We also apologise to our readers for the error and any confusion it may have created.
