The reported killing of 43 farmers by members of the dreaded Boko Haram terrorist sect in Borno State, on Saturday, has sparked reactions from some prominent Nigerians.
The insurgents were said to have slit the throats of the farmers on their rice farms during an attack in Jere Local Government Area of the state.
Although the police have yet to confirm the incident, Daily Trust reported that the bodies of the slain farmers were found by local hunters on Saturday and taken to Zabarmari village.
THE WHISTLER reports that #ZabarmariMassacre was trending at number one position on Twitter on Saturday, as some Nigerians took to the microblogging site to condemn the attack, while others called on President Muhammadu Buhari to sack the country’s security chiefs for allegedly failing to keep the country safe.
Reacting in a tweet, the former senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, described the incident as “a horrible tragedy”.
Sani said, “The reported massacre of over 40 farmers by insurgents in Borno state earlier today is condemnable. This is a recurring news for some,but a horrible tragedy for the children, wives and loved ones they left behind .Every dawn of a new day, our nation bleeds in the hands of evil.”
Also reacting, a former presidential aspirant, Adamu Garba, urged that the current security situation in the north should be seen beyond government or region, saying “It is about our lives.”
Garba, who is an ardent supporter of President Muhammadu Buhari, said: “Everyone is affected by the level of insecurity in the North. Everyone! We must speak-up to clean-up the North.
“We must pressure the government to do their primary responsibility “SECURITY”.
Bello Shagari, grandson of the late former president Shehu Shagari, said: “Sincerely, the #ServiceChiefs have failed completely and they are overdue. Without any fear or favour, if they remain in office, while people continue to lose their lives, then there’s no commitment to the fight against insecurity”
Meanwhile, the development is coming about two days after the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, lamented worsening insecurity in northern Nigeria.
The Sultan had described the region as “the worst place to be in this country,” as bandits were now freely perpetrating crime without anyone stopping them.
“People think north is safe, but that assumption is not true. In fact, it’s the worst place to be in this country. Because bandits go around in the villages, households, and markets with their AK-47. They stop at the market, buy things, pay and collect change, with their weapons openly displayed. These are facts I know because I am at the centre of it,” the monarch had said at the fourth quarterly meeting of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) in Abuja on Thursday.
