Twenty-one people initially killed during burial ceremony, with additional 44 people killed when villagers ran after assailants

Sunday 04 August, ABUJA - At least 65 people are dead following a suspected attack by Boko Haram on a funeral gathering in northeastern Nigeria, according to local officials.

The attack occurred Saturday during a burial in the Nganzai district, near the Borno state capital, Maiduguri, local government chairman Muhammad Bulama said.

Twenty-one people were initially killed during the burial ceremony, Bulama said. An additional 44 people were killed when villagers ran after the assailants. At least 10 people were injured in the attack, eight of them were critically wounded.

Boko Haram is a jihadist terrorist organization based in northeastern Nigeria, but is also active in Chad, Niger, and northern Cameroon.

It was founded by Mohammed Yusuf in 2002, but has been led by Abubakar Shekau since 2009.

The official name of Boko Haram is Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati Wal-Jihad: 'People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet’s Teachings and Jihad.'

Author's comment: Believe it or not, when Boko Haram first formed, their actions were nonviolent. Their main goal was to 'purify Islam in northern Nigeria'. However, like most peaceful or non-violent organisations that have anything to do with Islam, things soon change for the worse.

Since March 2015, the group has been aligned with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, and has killed tens of thousands and displaced 2.3 million people from their homes. It has since been ranked as the world's deadliest terror group by the Global Terrorism Index.