Boko Haram terrorists have killed ten farmers in some communities in Borno State.
Some of the farmers died in Kwashabe – a rice plantation where over forty farmers were killed three years ago in the Zabarmari district of Jere Local Government Area, others were killed in Kakut village in Mafa Local Government Area.
According to one of the farmers in Zabarmari, trouble started when three farmers were kidnapped on Friday and a ransom of N600,00 was being demanded for each of the three kidnapped persons.
Being unable to extract more money than the N120,000 paid for for the three persons, the terrorists mopped up fifteen more farmers who were working on their farmlands on Saturday only for a rival terrorist group to come attempting to kidnap the fifteen farmers.
A gun battle ensued among the two factions leading to the escape of thirteen farmers. One person was shot dead in the gun battle while another sustained injuries.
On Sunday evening, according to the same source, the terrorists went to Kakut village, a farming field, and shot several farmers dead.
“Some three days ago, Boko Haram terrorists kidnapped three farmers in Kwashabe village and demanded N600,000 for each abductee but we kept negotiating until they agreed to collect N120,000 for the three kidnapped,” a source told Channels Television.
“The next day while farmers were working in their rice farms, they came again and gathered fifteen with an attempt to kidnap but another faction of the terrorists came and they began an exchange of fire among the terrorists which allowed the fifteen farmers to escape. One person was shot dead in the process while another sustained injury.
“Yesterday (Sunday) evening around five o’clock, the terrorists went to Kakut community in Mafa local government. There they told the villagers that they had been betrayed by the villagers and then they killed unspecified numbers of farmers.
“We just recovered nine bodies while others are still being searched for in the bush. As we speak, the nine corpses are still in the vehicle that brought them from the farm. The other farmer who sustained injury is in the hospital receiving treatment. While villagers are still searching for other corpses.”
