Fighters belonging to the Boko Haram faction loyal to Ali Ngulde have reportedly beheaded two women in the Mandara Mountain axis of Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State. The brutal act followed accusations that the women were engaging in shirk, an Islamic term referring to the sin of associating partners with Allah or attributing divine qualities to anyone or anything other than Allah.

Sources familiar with insurgent activities in the area, and confirmed by counter-insurgency expert Zagazola Makama, stated that the victims were intercepted during a routine search conducted by the terrorists around their mountain settlements. The insurgents claimed the women were caught with charms (layu), which they immediately interpreted as evidence of “forbidden practices” and the sin of idolatry.

The women were subsequently dragged before the faction’s makeshift “trial” system, where the terrorists summarily declared them guilty. A video of the incident, obtained by Makama, reportedly showed the women being accused of practicing shirk after the discovery of charms on them. Following this so-called trial, the terrorists took the women to a secluded part of the mountains and executed them.

The execution was reportedly carried out publicly in the presence of fighters and civilians living under the group’s control. This public display was intended to instill fear and ensure strict obedience to the faction’s hardline doctrines. Zagazola Makama also reported that Ali Ngulde’s faction has recently intensified brutal punitive measures against individuals accused of sorcery, spying, or attempting to defect from the group, highlighting their strict enforcement of extremist ideologies.