Key points
- The attack hit Ala and Musune wards in Marte Local Government Area on Wednesday evening.
- Local sources say 18 farmers were ambushed, bound and shot at close range; 15 were buried Thursday.
- Amnesty International called the killings a grave violation of international humanitarian law and urged federal protection for North-East communities.
Suspected Boko Haram terrorists have killed 15 farmers in Marte Local Government Area of Borno State, and police are searching for three others who have not been seen since the attack on Wednesday evening.
The victims were working their farms and gathering firewood in Ala and Musune wards when the attackers struck. Borno State Police Command spokesperson Nahum Daso confirmed the toll on Friday.
“Fifteen people were killed while others are still missing. Efforts are ongoing to determine their whereabouts,” he said, adding that details remained sketchy.
Local sources gave a fuller account. According to them, 18 farmers were ambushed in the bush, tied up, forced to lie down and shot at close range.
Fifteen bodies were recovered and buried on Thursday according to Islamic rites. Some of the dead had been mutilated, which made identification difficult.
“So far, we have buried 15 out of the 18; we are currently searching for three persons,” a community source said on condition of anonymity.
Ordinary work, deadly risk
The dead included young men, married men and elderly residents, all of whom had gone into the bush for the kind of routine tasks that sustain rural households in the North-East: tending crops and collecting firewood to sell or cook with.
That ordinariness is what makes attacks of this kind so corrosive. Farmers in Marte and neighboring areas have faced repeated raids over the years, and each one pushes more families to abandon fields they cannot safely reach.
Consequently, the killings threaten food supply and livelihoods well beyond the immediate victims.
Amnesty demands action
In a statement on Friday, the organization said the victims were residents who ventured into the bush “to gather firewood to earn a living or cook for their families.”
The group called on the Federal Government to take “immediate, transparent, and human rights-compliant measures” to protect vulnerable communities across the region.
Meanwhile, the police search for the three missing farmers continued through Friday. The command said it would release further information as facts emerged.
No group has publicly claimed responsibility, and the authorities have not said whether any suspects have been identified.
