Boko Haram has beheaded 43 farmers in the famous rice-farming town of Zabarmari, located in the greater Maiduguri area of Jere local government of Borno, Northeast Nigeria.
The town is based downstream of the river Alau Dam along the River Yedzeram. The dam was constructed under a multi-million dollar World Bank urban water supply project.
Zabarmari is also located less than 20 kilometres from the counterinsurgency operation Lafiya Dole Command centre in Maiduguri, the state capital.
HumAngle learned that the barbaric incident which happened Saturday afternoon led to tension and an uneasy feeling in the town this evening when the news broke.
Residents have insisted that the state governor has to see the bodies of the 43 victims, all of whom had their throats slit, before they are laid to rest.
Zabarmari is known to be within the sphere of influence of Boko Haram’s parent group. However, its splinter faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), has previously conducted an attack in the town.
The latter group is notorious for targeting farmers cultivating their farmlands.
A source further informed AFP that the victims were mostly labourers from Sokoto State in northwest Nigeria, who were contracted to harvest paddy in the rice fields.
The incident highlights the threats and terror faced by farmers, loggers and displaced persons attempting to cultivate lands or search for firewood in areas where the two factions of Boko Haram operate.
On October 14, farmers were killed while working on their irrigation fields in Ngwom village, 14 kilometres north of Maiduguri.
The victims also had their throats slashed.
Similarly in October, HumAngle reported the killing of eight farmers in their farmlands behind the Borno State University, Njimtilo, a settlement bordering Maiduguri.
The violence in the region has taken a toll of over 30,000 fatalities with over two million people displaced from their homes since 2009.
Support Our Journalism
There are millions of ordinary people affected by conflict in Africa whose stories are missing in the mainstream media. HumAngle is determined to tell those challenging and under-reported stories, hoping that the people impacted by these conflicts will find the safety and security they deserve.
To ensure that we continue to provide public service coverage, we have a small favour to ask you. We want you to be part of our journalistic endeavour by contributing a token to us.
Your donation will further promote a robust, free, and independent media.
Donate Here
ahgobear@gmail.com