Members of the Boko Haram faction loyal to Ali Ngulde have reportedly beheaded two women in the Mandara Mountain region of Gwoza Local Government Area, Borno State, after accusing them of practising shirk — an act considered idolatry in Islam.
Shirk refers to attributing divine powers to anyone or anything besides Allah, a sin regarded as one of the gravest offences in Islamic teachings.
According to sources familiar with the group’s activities, the women were stopped during a routine inspection conducted by the terrorists around their mountain camps. The insurgents allegedly found charms (known locally as layu) in their possession and immediately branded them guilty of engaging in “forbidden practices.”
Counter-insurgency analyst Zagazola Makama reported that the women were dragged before the faction’s informal “court,” where they were hastily condemned without any genuine process.
A video obtained by Makama reportedly shows the terrorists accusing the women of shirk after discovering the charms.
“They took them to a remote area in the mountains and executed them after a sham trial,” one source said.
The execution was said to have taken place publicly, in full view of fighters and civilians under the group’s control, as a means of reinforcing fear and enforcing absolute obedience to the faction’s extremist rules.
Makama added that the Ali Ngulde faction has recently escalated violent punishments against those accused of sorcery, spying, or attempting to escape.
The latest killings come amid a series of attacks and kidnappings across Borno. Earlier reports confirmed that several women were abducted in Mussa district, Askira-Uba Local Government Area, while returning from their farms on Saturday.
Police spokesperson Nahum Daso confirmed the incident, saying 12 women were taken by suspected Boko Haram members.
“There was an abduction yesterday involving 12 females returning from their farms in Askira-Uba. Details remain unclear, but investigations are ongoing,” he said.
