Egypt's Al-Azhar has condemned the beheading of more than 40 farmers in Nigeria in an incident believed to be carried out by the terrorist group Boko Haram.

Boko Haram fighters killed at least 43 farmers and injured six in rice fields near the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri on Saturday morning, reported AFP, citing an anti-jihadist militia.

In an official statement released shortly after the assault, Al-Azhar urged "serious and decisive confrontation" to uproot such terrorist groups and rid the world of their evils.

It also described the incident as a heinous crime which is evidences of the inhumanity and cruelty of these groups.

Al-Azhar, which is the Sunni Muslim world’s top religious institution, extended condolences to the families if the victims and other terrorist acts.