Boko Haram Kills Farmers In Adamawa

About five farmers were yesterday killed  by gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram insurgents in Madagali local government area of Adamawa State.

The attack came less than 24 hours after members of the group launched similar attack on a military base in Madagali, killing one soldier and civilians.

Reports said that suspected members of the sect yesterday morning went berserk killing scores of farmers as hundreds fled to neighbouring Cameroun.

Residents of the farming village of Kubla and Chakawa said the latest attack on farmers is believed to be an attempt to scare farmers from farming this season as the insurgents sent threat letters warning farmers against farming this season. The farmers said such attacks have recently become frequent due to a total lack of security presence in border communities of Adamawa and Borno.


In this fresh attack, residents said the gunmen invaded their farms shooting sporadically on farmers at sight. “As I am talking to you, we have lost five farmers during the attack and we are now searching for the other missing persons,” a local farmer, who simply identified himself as Joseph, said.

The farmer recalled how the incident occurred thus, “They came in at about 10am. They were on bikes filled with young men chanting “Allahu akbar” (God is great). Others were on foot. Those of us who heard their arrival earlier were able to escape but several of our colleagues who were already busy farming on tractors could not make it before the gunmen caught them and shot at them.

The chairman of Madagali, Mr James Abawu Watharda, confirmed the incident. He expressed worry that villagers in remote and isolated places often fall victims to such attacks. “Yes, they attacked farmers though I cannot confirm the casualty figures; we are in serious attacks,’’ he said.

Reports said that other farmers in nearby villages also fled their homes as they feared more attacks from Boko Haram. “We had to flee for our dear lives because the gunmen came in troops and there are no security personnel in our locality. We ran across the borders into villages in Cameroun Republic,”  they said.