Boko Haram insurgents launched coordinated attacks on rice farmers in multiple locations across Borno State, specifically targeting those harvesting their crops during the peak harvest season. The attackers, who arrived on motorcycles and divided themselves into three groups, surrounded farmers working in rice fields in Karkut and Koshebe villages in Mafa LGA. The assailants used knives and cutlasses to slaughter their victims, with some sources also reporting the use of firearms against those who attempted to flee. At least 13 farmers were confirmed killed, with many others still missing at the time of reporting. According to militia sources, the insurgents threw the bodies of some victims into a ditch and abducted an undetermined number of people. Four farmers survived the attack with slashes on their throats and were taken to a hospital in Maiduguri. The attack came just hours after a separate incident in which a businessman was killed and four others abducted on his farm near Bama town

Perpetrators

Boko Haram

Response

The Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) and security agencies conducted search operations to recover bodies and locate missing persons. The Borno State Governor's office also condemned the attack, and the Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF) issued a statement describing the killings as "morally reprehensible"

Displacement

0

Socioeconomic drivers

By targeting farmers, Boko Haram disrupts the agricultural economy, exacerbates food insecurity in a region already facing acute hunger, and creates a climate of fear that prevents rural populations from returning to their livelihoods.

Trajectory

This attack is notable for its tactical consistency with Boko Haram's established methods rather than representing an evolution. The combination of targeting farmers during harvest season, using motorcycles to conduct rapid raids, surrounding victims with multiple groups, using bladed weapons for executions, and abducting others for ransom mirrors tactics documented in numerous previous attacks, including the 2020 Zabarmari massacre. This suggests a standardized operational procedure rather than tactical innovation.

Cycle notes

This incident mirrored earlier Boko Haram mass-casualty attacks on farmers during harvesting seasons across Borno State, including the 28 November 2020 Zabarmari massacre (Jere LGA), where rice farmers were executed in fields during harvest; the 2018–2019 repeated Mafa and Konduga farming community attacks, where insurgents targeted civilians working in farmlands; the 2021–2022 Bama axis farm-based abductions and killings, involving coordinated raids on agricultural sites; and the 2020–2023 recurring harvest-season ambushes in northern Borno villages, where farmers were systematically attacked to disrupt food production, collectively reflecting a consistent pattern in which Boko Haram conducts seasonal, intelligence-driven assaults on farming communities to undermine food security, displace rural populations, and generate ransom through abductions.

Pattern

Farmers Targeting

Source

• https://dailytrust.com/again-boko-haram-slaughters-13-farmers-in-borno/