We are victims, not perpetrators of genocide – Borno elders

The Borno Elders Forum has dismissed recent claims of genocide in Borno State, describing them as “malicious” and “misdirected.”

In a statement signed by the forum’s secretary and spokesman, Dr. Bulama Mali Gubio, the group expressed deep disappointment over what it termed an attempt to create disunity and tension in the state.

According to the forum, the people of Borno have long been victims of Boko Haram’s brutal insurgency, which has claimed more than half a million lives and displaced over two million residents since 2009.

Despite the devastation, the elders said they have never viewed the crisis as genocide, noting that the attacks were carried out by “agents of destruction” targeting people of all faiths.

“At a time when we need the support, cooperation, and collaboration of every group and individual, and while we are still mourning the mass killings and displacement of our loved ones, some nations, groups, and individuals are making a mockery of our distress,” the statement read in part.