Mustapha Yunusa Maihaja, DG, NEMA

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on Sunday said 12 farmers were killed and 1,300 others displaced in separate attacks coordinated by the Boko Haram insurgents in Borno.

Mr Bashir Garga, NEMA’s Northeast Zonal Coordinator, made the disclosure in a statement in Maiduguri.

Garba said the insurgents hacked 12 farmers to death while working on their fields on Saturday afternoon at Kalle village, 17 kilometres away from Maiduguri.

“They used machetes to kill their victims who were working on their farms; as confirmed by members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF). So far, we recovered 12 dead bodies from the fields and nearby bush. Three persons were injured in the raids. The insurgents had guns, but did not use them so as not to attract the attention of troops in the nearby Molai village,” he said.

Garga said that the Boko Haram insurgents stepped up attacks on farmers and loggers in recent years because they accuse them of passing information to the military.

The Coordinator disclosed further that one person was killed and 1,300 others displaced when the insurgents sacked three communities on Saturday night in Jere Local Government Area of the state.

Garga listed the affected communities to include Dala-Malari, Fuguri, and Femari.

He called on the people to be vigilant and report suspicious movements and persons to security agents.

“Attacks on soft targets is the hallmark of the insurgents’ due to increased military clampdown that has curtailed their activities. Humanitarian partners were being mobilized to cater for the victims as soon as possible,” he added.

(NAN)