Many Farmers Killed, Others Kidnapped In Borno Rice Plantation
At least 11 farmers were brutally killed in an attack by Boko Haram militants in Zabarmari, a rice plantation in Borno State, Nigeria. This is barely 24 hours after another set of farmers were attacked in Bama town of the state.
In yet another horrific incident, at least 11 farmers were brutally killed on the evening of Sunday, Nov. 5, near Zabarmari, a village situated in the Jere local government area of Borno State, northeastern Nigeria. This area previously witnessed the massacre of nearly 110 rice farmers by Boko Haram in November 2020.
Three years later, in the same month, the terrorists struck again.
They invaded Kalku, a village 40km from Zabarmari, within the same local government area. They reportedly beheaded a minimum of 11 farmers and shot at several others who tried to escape. Most farmers working in Kalku’s rice fields are from Zabarmari.
This came hours after HumAngle reported the murder of a businessman by Boko Haram. The group had attacked him and four others at his farm near Bama town just 24 hours before this latest incident.
HumAngle received confidential information from a Zabarmari resident about the recent abductions. According to the source, at least 11 farmers were beheaded due to their inability to pay the demanded ransom.
“About six of those killed were from the same house,” shared Dauda, a resident. HumAngle has not been able to verify this information, however.
Another source, a high-ranking member of the Civilian-JTF, confirmed the grim situation to HumAngle. The source, who wished to remain anonymous due to lack of clearance to speak on the issue, stated, “The terrorists have also taken away many farmers and declared that the bodies of the deceased farmers will not be retrieved. So far, we have been informed that more than ten farmers were killed in Kalku.”
“Those who managed to escape bore deep wounds from knife cuts and bullet injuries and have been taken to the hospital,” the source added.
HumAngle has previously published reports on how farmers, particularly IDPs, secretly pay ransoms to secure the release of their kidnapped relatives. Such cases of covert kidnapping and ransom payments often go unreported to the police, as locals are warned of severe repercussions for reporting these incidents.
The police have yet to make a statement regarding this incident. Attempts to contact the acting PPRO, Daso Nahum, have so far been unsuccessful, and no return call has been received at the time of filing this report.
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