IS says it was behind deadly Nigeria attack on football pitch

IS says it was behind deadly Nigeria attack on football pitch44 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleHarry SekulichandRichard Irvine-Brown,BBC Verify

A delegation from the state government has visited the area - these burnt-out motorcycles were pictured outside a school

Adamawa State Government A group of men and officials looking on at the burnt-out remnants of motorbikes — A delegation from the state government has visited the area - these burnt-out motorcycles were pictured outside a school

Gunmen have killed at least 29 people in an attack on a community in Nigeria's north-eastern Adamawa state, local officials say.

The Islamic State group (IS) has said it was behind the attack, without specifying its motive.

Authorities and local residents said the militants raided a football pitch where people had been gathering and opened fire at random, before burning houses, places of worship and motorcycles.

State governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri shared photos of himself arriving at the scene, describing the attack as an "affront to our humanity".

The governor's media office said the attack lasted several hours in "Guyaku community in the Gombi local government area".

BBC Verify has geolocated the photos shared of Fintiri's visit to a place called Sangere Mapindi, which is 4km (2.5 miles) to the south-east of the village of Guyakyu.

Surveying the damage in the area, his spokesperson wrote on Facebook that the "atmosphere in the community remains tense, with grief and fear evident".

Many families "have abandoned their homes over concerns of further attacks", the spokesperson added.

Fintiri posted on X: "We are intensifying security operations immediately to restore peace and ensure every resident feels safe in their home again."

Social media videos analysed by BBC Verify show the aftermath of the attack in Sangere Mapidni. In one verified clip officials inspect the damage to the village's primary school and several burned-out motorbikes nearby.

A map showing the locations of the various attacks - at the church, school and field.

Another video, filmed by Nigerian broadcaster TVC News, shows heavy damage inside Sangere Mapidni's church, including burn marks, an overturned drum kit and an abandoned keyboard.

The TVC report also hears from people outside the church, who reported the attackers came from the direction of the school and shot at people, killing 28 men and a woman.

Among the witnesses was the church's pastor, who said the attackers had followed people fleeing gunfire into the village, burning homes and the church.

"We are pleading, on behalf of the people here, we need security," he added.

The restive region bordering Cameroon has seen repeated attacks by local criminal gangs and affiliates of IS in recent years.

Earlier this month, almost 400 people were sentenced during mass trials for their links with militant Islamist groups Boko Haram and its rival splinter group, the Islamic State West Africa Province (Iswap).

In 2009, Boko Haram launched an insurgency in Nigeria's north-east leading to the deaths of tens of thousands of people and displacement of more than two million in the years since, according to aid groups.

The jihadist conflict has spread to neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon.

The Nigerian government is under intense pressure to curb rising insecurity in Africa's most-populous nation, which has also come under international scrutiny ahead of the country's general elections in January.

Late last year, the US launched "powerful and deadly" strikes against militants linked to IS in north-western Nigeria.