MAIDUGURI (Nigeria), Nov 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Boko Haram fighters
killed at least 43 farm workers and injured six in rice fields near
the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri on Saturday, an
anti-jihadist militia said.
The assailants tied up the agricultural workers and slit their
throats in the village of Koshobe, the militia said.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari condemned the attack, saying:
“The entire country has been wounded by these senseless killings.”
“We have recovered 43 dead bodies, all of them slaughtered, along
with six others with serious injuries,” said militia leader Babakura
Kolo, who helped the survivors.
“It is no doubt the handiwork of Boko Haram who operate in the area
and frequently attack farmers.”
The victims were labourers from Sokoto state in northwestern
Nigeria, roughly 1,000 kilometres away, who had travelled
to the northeast to find work, said another militiaman Ibrahim Liman
who gave the same toll.
“There were 60 farmers who were contracted to harvest paddy in the
rice fields. Forty-three were slaughtered, with six injured,” Liman
said.
Eight others were missing, presumed to have been kidnapped by the
jihadists, he said.
The bodies were taken to Zabarmari village, two kilometres away,
where they would be kept ahead of burial on Sunday, said resident Mala
Bunu who took part in the search and rescue operation.
Last month Boko Haram militants slaughtered 22 farmers working on
their irrigation fields near Maiduguri in two separate incidents.
Boko Haram and ISWAP, its Daesh-linked rival, have increasingly
targeted loggers, herders and fishermen in their violent campaign,
accusing them of spying and passing information to the military and
the local militia fighting them.
At least 36,000 people have been killed in the jihadist conflict,
which has displaced around two million since 2009.
The violence has also spread into neighbouring Niger, Chad and
Cameroon, prompting a regional military coalition to fight the
militants.
The attack took place as voters went to the polls in local
elections in Borno State.
The elections had been repeatedly postponed because of an increase
in attacks by Boko Haram and ISWAP. — NNN-AGENCIES
