The Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) militants have recently severed the hands of two fishermen in Marte, Borno State, after accusing them of stealing fish.
The fishermen, according to a Counter-Insurgency Expert in the Lake Chad region, Zagazola Makama, were part of a larger group engaged in fishing activities under the control of ISWAP, where they were subject to levies and taxes.
The two fishermen, according to sources familiar with the sad incident, incurred the wrath of the militants when they were found to have failed to pay their taxes, resulting in the confiscation of eight cartons of fish by the terrorists.
After loading the fish onto their canoe, the militants were forced to abandon two cartons due to space constraints. Subsequently, the fishermen secretly retrieved the two abandoned cartons, leading to their arrest by ISWAP on charges of theft.
Following their arrest, the leader of the militant group ordered that the men’s hands be cut-off, as provided under Sharia law.
