About 15 farmers have been killed while three others were reportedly abducted after suspected Boko Haram insurgents ambushed residents working on their farms in Marte Local Government Area of Borno State.
The attack occurred on Wednesday across Ala, Gumna and Musune wards, near the headquarters of the local government area. Although news of the attack reached the community on Wednesday evening, the recovery of the victims’ bodies was not completed until Thursday morning.
A local source, who recounted the aftermath of the attack, said five bodies were initially recovered from the farms, while additional bodies were discovered later as community members searched the area.
“Five bodies were initially recovered from the field, while others were found later. Three persons are still missing, and sources indicate they were abducted by the insurgents,” the source said.
The Public Relations Officer of the Borno State Police Command, DSP Kenneth Nahum Daso, confirmed that 15 people were killed in the incident, adding that security authorities were investigating the attack.
“We are making efforts to determine the whereabouts of the three people still missing,” Daso said.
A relative of one of the victims, who spoke about the attack, said the farmers had gone to their farms to harvest crops when they were ambushed by the suspected insurgents.
According to her, the victims were allegedly forced to lie down before being shot at close range.
“They were forced to lie down and were shot in the head at close range. It was a gory sight,” she said.
She added that members of the affected communities subsequently mobilised to search the farmlands, recover the bodies and bury the deceased in accordance with Islamic rites.
The killings have also drawn condemnation from Amnesty International, which described the attack as a horrific violation of international humanitarian law.
In a statement issued on Friday, the human rights organisation expressed concern over what it described as escalating violence against vulnerable communities in Northeast Nigeria.
“Amnesty International strongly condemns the horrific killing of at least 15 people in Marte Local Government Area of Borno State,” the organisation said, adding that the victims were residents who ventured into surrounding areas to earn a living or harvest their crops before they were allegedly ambushed by a suspected Boko Haram group.
Amnesty International further said the deliberate targeting of civilians by non-state armed groups constitutes a war crime and called on the Nigerian authorities to take immediate, transparent and human-rights-compliant measures to protect vulnerable communities in the region.
