MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (GlobeAfrique) — Boko Haram rebels killed at least seven farmers in northeast Nigeria, further threatening food security in the hard-hit region.
Boko Haram, which translates to “Western education is forbidden”, is a jihadist terrorist organization based in northeastern Nigeria, active in Chad, Niger, and northern Cameroon. Founded in 2002, the group initially focused on opposing Western-style education, but its scope of activities expanded drastically, especially since 2009. It has carried out mass abductions, including kidnapping 276 schoolgirls from Chibok in 2014, and has perpetrated numerous large-scale terrorist attacks.
The authorities said the militants attacked the farmers on Thursday as they worked on their crop fields near Borno state’s Molai area.
Security forces deployed to the scene “were met with a horrifying sight; some victims had their throats slit while others were completely beheaded,” Abudulmumeen Bulama, a member of the Civilian Joint Task Force helping fight the militants, said.
Sainna Buba, a local government official, described the attack as a “sad occurrence and a setback” to restore peace and farming activities in the troubled region. The victims have been buried, he said.
The attack happened amid state efforts to help farmers and other residents recover from violence and related upheaval in the troubled region. U.N. agencies this week sought more funding for humanitarian assistance.
