As the last count, 65 people have died in an attack on a funeral in Maiduguri, capital of embattled Borno state, by Boko Haram fighters.
Initial reports put the death at 25, but officials said on Sunday that the toll had tripled.
Dozens more bodies were discovered, following the assault on Saturday by gunmen on a village close to the regional capital Maiduguri.
“It is 65 people dead and 10 injured,” Local Government Chairman Muhammed Bulama said.
Bulama said more than 20 people died in the initial attack on the funeral gathering. Dozens more were killed as they tried to chase after the jihadists.
The leader of a local anti-Boko Haram militia confirmed the death toll, while giving a slightly different account of the attack.
Bunu Bukar Mustapha reported that 23 people were killed as they returned from the funeral and “the remaining 42 were killed when they pursued the terrorists”.
Relatives collected the bodies of those slain for burial.
Bulama said he thought the latest attack was in retaliation for the killing two weeks ago of 11 Boko Haram fighters by local residents when the jihadists approached their village.
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday condemned the dastardly attack on a funeral procession in Borno State, which caused the deaths of over 60 mourners.
Malam Garba Shehu, the President’s spokesman, in a statement in Abuja, said the President had received assurances from the armed forces that the terrorists, who committed the killings would pay a “big price” for their action.
“The Federal Government is firmly and resolutely committed to taking necessary measures to safeguard the nation’s security.
”This administration is determined to end the menace of terrorism,” Shehu quoted President Buhari as saying.
According to the president, already a major exercise has begun to hunt the attackers with air patrols by the nation’s Air Force and ground operations by the army.
He assured the residents of Maiduguri and the citizens settled in the IDP camps that they would receive increased protection from further attacks by the assailants.
MM/GIK/APA