14 killed, some kidnapped in separate attacks: residents
From Timothy Olanrewaju, Maiduguri
A Borno restive town has been thrown into deep mourning following the killing of 13 farmers by Boko Haram, the second of such incident in three years.
Survivors said the 13 farmers were beheaded on their farmlands in Mafa Local Government in the central part of Borno on Sunday evening. They were buried on Monday at Zabarmari, a farming community some 25 kilometers to Maiduguri, the state capital.
Residents said the farmers who hailed from neighbouring villages of Koshebe and Karkut, were thrashing grains on the farm when Boko Haram swooped on them.
“They came in groups from different direction and cornered people on the farm though some escape. They started beheading the people they caught,” Abubakar Yusuf, a farmer and survivor told The Sun on phone.
He said the attack occurred at about 5pm on Sunday, adding that some were also missing during the incident.
“We don’t know if some of those missing have been kidnapped by Boko Haram or are in the bush trying to locate their way home. We have buried 13 today (Monday),” said Ahmad Khali, a Zabarmari resident.
A CJTF told the reporter on condition of anonymity the insurgents may have parked their motorcycles somewhere in the bush to avoid security and sneak into the farmland.
In another attack in Bama Local Government also on Sunday, Boko Haram killed a farm owner and kidnapped four workers on the farm, residents said.
The attack on Zabarmari farmers came barely three years when the community experienced similar incident.
Boko Haram had beheaded over 100 farmers from Zabarmari on farmlands in November 2020. Tge incident attracted national outrage and sympathy visit of many government officials including a Federal Government delegation and UN humanitarian office in Nigeria.