ISWAP militants have severed the hands of two fishermen in Marte, Borno State, for allegedly stealing fish.

A counter-insurgency expert in the Lake Chad region, Zagazola Makama, said the fishermen were part of a larger group engaged in fishing activities under the control of ISWAP, which subjected them to levies and taxes.

The two, according to sources, incurred the wrath of the militants when they were found to have failed to pay taxes, resulting in the terrorists confiscating eight cartons of fish.

After loading the fish into their canoe, the militants were forced to abandon two cartons due to space constraints.

The fishermen, however, secretly retrieved the cartons and were charged with theft.

Following their arrest, the leader of the militant group ordered that the men’s hands be cut off in accordance with Sharia law.