KANO, Nigeria: Boko Haram jihadists have killed six farmers who were working on their land near the northeast Nigerian city of Maiduguri, civilian militia members and locals said yesterday. Gunmen on motorcycles attacked the group who were preparing their fields for the rainy season outside Amrawa village, 16 kilometers from the Borno state capital, on Saturday.

“The gunmen attacked the farmers with machetes as they were clearing their farms that have been taken over by weeds in preparation for the rains which start in a few days,” said Ibrahim Liman, a civilian militia member. “They seized six farmers and slaughtered them while the rest fled.”Liman’s account was supported by Masida Bunu and Rahis Musa, who live in the village. Some residents raised the alarm and the militia pursued the attackers to the nearby village of Sojori. “The vigilantes fought the terrorists and killed four while the rest fled,” said Liman.

At least 20,000 people have been killed and more than 2.6 million made homeless in northeast Nigeria since the start of Boko Haram’s Islamist insurgency in 2009. Nigeria’s government and military maintain the jihadists are a spent force but sporadic attacks and suicide bombings pose a constant threat, particularly in remote areas. Saturday’s attack again underlines the vulnerability of rural communities at a time when the authorities have been encouraging the displaced to return and rebuild their lives. —AFP