The Northern Governors’ Forum has condemned the Saturday killing of rice farmers in Jere Local Government Area of Borno by Boko Haram terrorists.
The Chairman of the forum and Governor of Plateau, Simon Lalong, made the condemnation on Sunday in Jos, in a statement by his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Dr Makut Macham.
Lalong described the incident as tragic and a great setback to the country’s efforts to attain domestic sufficiency in rice production as well as food security.
He said the entire country was deeply saddened over the killing of the rice farmers who committed no crime, but went to their farms to earn their honest living.
He said the forum had consistently worked with the Federal Government, security agencies and local support groups to ensure protection of farmers, in order to enable them to carry out their farming activities.
The chairman said that in spite the condemnable act, the forum would not relent in its support to enable security agencies to deal decisively with the terrorists and other criminals.
He commiserated with the families of the deceased farmers, as well as the people and government of Borno over the incident.
The farmers were killed on Saturday in Koshebe village of Jere local government area of the state while working in their farms.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned the gruesome beheading of the farmers by insurgents in Zabarmari, describing the act as ‘extremely wicked and devilish’.
The party, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, in Abuja on Sunday, said that the act must not be left unaddressed.
Ologbondiyan said that the PDP noted with pain the horrific killing of the compatriots.
He said that the party was distressed by the escalated killing and maiming of innocent Nigerians by insurgents, bandits and marauders, who had continued to ravage and pillage Nigeria’s communities.
Ologbondiyan said that the PDP was particularly disturbed about what he described as the failure of government to take decisive action against the insurgents, in spite series of concerns raised by Borno state Governor, Baba Zulum, of security compromises in the state.
This, according to Ologbondiyan, has continued to embolden insurgents to the extent that they now attacked military formations, convoys of governors and beheading of compatriots.
He advised President Muhammadu Buhari to act on the consistent demands of Nigerians to rejig the national security architecture and replace the service chiefs with more capable hands to effectively tackle the security challenges.
He also advised the president to take more actions that would safeguard the lives of Nigerians.
“Mr President should immediately move to Zabarmari in Borno State, empathize with the families of the victims and lead from the front in restoring security in the area.”
The PDP, according to Ologbondiyan, commiserated with the government and people of Borno state.
He urged Nigerians to remain at alert particularly in providing useful information for our security agencies in the fight against insurgency in the land.
