On Thursday, several young people from four different communities in the Mafa and Jere Local Government Areas of Borno State were murdered by individuals believed to be affiliated with the Boko Haram terrorist group.
Five of the young people who were reportedly out in the bush gathering firewood were found in Tamsu-Ngamdu, two were found in Baram-Karuwa, and one was found in Shuwari. One of the youths was found dead in Muna, which is located in the Jere Local Government Area.
Sherif Goni, a resident of Tamsu-Ngamdu, was speaking to members of the media on Friday when he relayed the following information: “One of the youths, just about 16 years old, who said he was spared by the killers to come and report the story,” Goni said. “Those killed all had their hands tied at the back and shot,” the youth added.
On Friday, the Governor of the state, Babagana Zulum, expressed his condolences to the communities that had lost loved ones and reassured them that the state government would not be deterred in its efforts to bring an end to the state’s history of instability.
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The government is working to improve its strategies for preventing and resolving insecurity in order to make it easier for people to engage in farming and other economic activities.
“However, farmers should also supplement the efforts of the government and design their own community strategies for combating insecurity,” Zulum advised.
He ordered all of the farmers to be at their farms by six in the morning and to stay there until five o’clock in the afternoon, and he instructed the security agents not to be deterred by the resurgence of terrorist activities.
Around 15 farmers were killed on June 15 in Molai and the surrounding communities in the Konduga Local Government Area of the state. Suspected insurgents were responsible for the killings.