No fewer than 40 farmers have been reportedly killed by Boko Haram terrorists in the Dumba community in the Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State.
There were indications that the attack was carried out by a combined team of Boko Haram and the Islamic State of West African Province.
It was gathered that the attack which happened around 4:30 pm on Sunday also left dozens of farmers missing who may have been abducted by the militants.
Borno State Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Prof Usman Tar, confirmed the attack in a statement on Monday.
“Investigation has commenced on the circumstances behind this attack. Initial reports indicate about 40 farmers have been killed, while the whereabouts of many who escaped the attack are being traced for reunion with their families,” Tar disclosed.
This is coming barely 24 hours after two people were killed and a church was set ablaze in a similar attack on the Chibok community, in the southern part of the state.
He said Governor Babagana Zulum condemned the attack in “strong terms,” even as the governor called on the military to track and clear the insurgent elements operating in Dumba and other similar enclaves around the Lake Chad area.
Sources said the victims were attacked by the terrorists after moving beyond the security track marked by the military around the communities to prevent residents from straying into Boko Haram or ISWAP enclaves.
The Kukawa area has suffered three devastating attacks by Boko Haram since 2014 when terrorist attacks escalated in Borno State.
In December 2019, Boko Haram sacked Baga, the headquarters of Kukawa Local Government and one of Borno’s commercial hubs, following a bloody attack that lasted two days.
Nearly a dozen military troops were captured and later executed in a gruesome manner. Thousands of residents fled their homes, marking the third massive displacement in the town since 2014.
In the statement, Zulum condemned the deadly attack on farmers and fishermen at Dumba.
He expressed sorrow over the incident while asking the military to track down the killers.
Tar said that initial reports indicated that the attackers killed about 40 people, and several others fled into nearby areas while efforts were underway to trace the survivors and reunite them with their families.
The governor also commended the armed forces for their ongoing efforts to secure vast stretches of land for farming and resettlement as part of the government’s long-term strategy to manage displacement and enhance livelihoods.
“The safe corridors provide vast tracts of land for settlement, fishing, and farming under the watchful eyes of our gallant security forces.
