While the military commanders of operation Lafia Dole are trying to win the peace, of the lingering insurgent war in Borno, the Boko Haram insurgents have started a new wave of torment of farmers leading to the death of at least 11 of them over the weekend.
The residents of communities mostly in some outskirts of Maiduguri have been denied the real enjoyment of the peace as the insurgents sometimes in search of food have been keeping them on their toes day and night.
The residents are mostly returnees who used to enjoy peace in the state capital while they were in their former camps as IDPs but now receive insistent terror attack on a regular basis from the Boko Haram insurgents who, reports said hacked down 11 of them before leaving.
According to an eye witness who preferred anonimity, “they killed eleven of our people Saturday afternoon in Amarwa village in Konduga LGA 16 kilometers away from Maiduguri metropolis.
“Nine Boko Haram insurgents drove into our village on motorcycles to unleash their wickedness. But by the time they finished their show of strength 11 of our farmers working in their farms were beheaded. We have informed bereaved families including Ali Umaru that lost a brother in-law.
“Those killed were said to have gone to clear their farms in preparatory for this year’s farming season with the assurance from political authorities that they can really farm big time this year since the first rain has already fallen.”
The eye witnesses villagers who said they heard the sounds of the attacks said the victims were killed brutally by boko haram who used machetes inspite of the fact that they came with rifles on motorcycles that would have eased the pains of their victims.
According to the villagers the insurgents are still visible around Kajiri village of Konduga LGA which is about two kilometers from the location of the alleged murders and eighteen kilometers from Maiduguri.
This daring raid actually took place close to the Alau Dam which supplies drinking water to Maiduguri and is heavily guarded by military personnel stationed at the reservoir to avoid the disaster that could occur if the insurgents are allowed to poison or bring down the dam and flood the capital.
A recent exchange of boko haram commanders for ex chibok school girls have emboldened the insurgents who are still firmly rooted in the Sambisa forest where they change location regularly in the vast land.
The military itself does not have enough personnel to go after the two leading kingpins of the insurgency because of the vastness of the Sambisa which cannot be completely combed even in a year.
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