Governor of Borno State, Professor Babagana Zulum, led kinsmen and other residents to bury the 43 farmers killed by the Boko Haram terrorists.
A statement from the state government said the burial held at the Zabarmari area of Borno State on Sunday morning.
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The farmers, believed to be from Sokoto state, lived and worked at rice farms in Zabarmari, a farming community in Jere Local Government Area of the state.
The area is known for rice cultivation and local processing.
They were attacked and killed on Saturday, at Koshebe village in Mafa Local Government Area.
The statement from the government titled, ‘Zabarmari: Zulum leads horrified kinsmen to bury 43 farmers killed by Boko Haram,’ said Zulum, during his visit, was told that the death toll was yet to be fully ascertained.
“Your Excellency, as you have seen here, 43 corpses were buried, but others have not been retrieved from the scene of the incident. Nobody can tell you the exact number of people killed. Some of the victims are still missing,” a resident was quoted as telling the governor.
Zulum, who subsequently addressed the bereaved community, according to the statement, said: “First of all, accept my deepest sympathy over this carnage, once again, that affects all of us and every human with conscience. I am told some persons are still missing. We have been discussing with the military since yesterday, Insha Allah the remaining people will be traced soon.
“It is disheartening that more than 40 citizens were slaughtered while they were working in their farmlands. Our people are in very difficult situations, they are in two different extreme conditions, on one side they stay at home they may be killed by hunger and starvation, on the other, they go out to their farmlands and risk getting killed by the insurgents.
“This is very sad. We are still appealing to the Federal Government to ensure the recruitment of more of our youths in the CJTF and hunters into the Nigerian military and the Civil Defence so that they can form part of the agro rangers that will protect farmers. We need many boots to protect farmlands and our youths understand the terrain. We will not lose hope because we have to remain optimistic about ending the insurgency.”
