Sad day as Over 40 farmers killed in Borno — Report

It was a sad day in Nigeria as 44 rice farmers were killed by suspected members of the Boko Haram while harvesting their crops, a lawmaker and sources have said.

Sources in Zabarmari, a Borno community known for rice farming, informed VAM News the farmers were attacked as they were working on a rice field at Garin Kwashebe.

The farmers were attacked on Saturday as residents of the state were voting to elect local government council officials, for the first time in 13 years.

The sources said the farmers “were rounded up and summarily slaughtered by the armed insurgents”.

A lawmaker representing Jere local government, Borno state, Ahmed Satomi, confirmed that 43 farmers were indeed beheaded in Koshebe village, near Zabamari.

Meanwhile, Hassan Zabarmari, a former chairman of a rice farmers association in Borno State, also confirmed the incident to newsmen on phone.

“It was a sad incident that took place at about 11 a.m today,” he said Saturday. “The farmers were attacked at the Garin-Kwashebe rice field, and according to reports reaching us since afternoon, about 40 of them were killed.”

“But we have been receiving conflicting information on the casualty figures – some said it was up to 50 farmers that were slaughtered.”

The lawmaker said:

“It was a very sad development that happened today at Zabarmari rice field general area.”

“Farmers and fishermen were killed in cold blood. We have so far received 44 corpses from the farms and we are preparing for their burials tomorrow by God’s grace.”

The lawmaker said the farmers “were attacked because they had on Friday disarmed and arrested a Boko Haram gunman who had been tormenting them.”

The Borno State police public relations officer, Edet Okon, did not respond when reached by phone Saturday night. He did not also respond to a WhatsApp message sent to him.

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