Boko Haram militants terrorize farmers in Nigeria

DW (English)

Boko Haram militants have been terrorizing farmers in northeastern Nigeria, stealing crops and kidnapping agricultural workers for ransom. As DW's Christine Mhundwa reports from Borno State, the violence is exacerbating food shortages in the region.

Transcript

00:00Not long ago, it wasn't safe to be on this farmland on the outskirts of Maiduguri.

00:07It used to be controlled by Boko Haram jihadist militants.

00:12Well, the location we are now, the geolocation, is best described as the Mole slash Dalwa area.

00:20An area that was almost a no-go area, just like you said, because it was actually invaded by the terrorists.

00:29But with the intervention of the military and other security agencies, we've been able to stem the tide

00:35and then repel them far backwards from the city.

00:40But rural communities are under such threat that the state has deployed rangers to protect them.

00:47Otherwise, they'll be targets for theft, extortion and even kidnapping for ransom.

00:54Now, soldiers, civilian volunteers and even former Boko Haram fighters patrol while farmers tend their crops.

01:04But the rangers are only on duty for certain fixed daytime hours and work within a boundary set by the military.

01:13Habiba Balami and her workers start early to get the most done in the time they have.

01:20We came here around eight. We came together with our securities inside the van.

01:26Our securities are OK. They are punctual and they do their duties accordingly.

01:34After the time we are given to close, that is 1.30, we have to leave the farm. Everybody will rush and go.

01:42But for Eladjigoni, the security is not enough. Two of his three farms are beyond the military's boundary.

01:50The problem is that there are some areas even now you cannot go. I have three farms.

01:56So there is one village called Marikura. So the Boko Haram is there. You cannot go there even now.

02:04Since 2010, I bought that farm. So I have never been there. In 2019, I used to do it.

02:10But 2010, 2011, up to date, nobody is going there because the Boko Haram is there.

02:14They will arrest you and take you too. There will be a ransom of about 1 million, 2 million.

02:19So that's why we are not going there.

02:21But not everyone is being so cautious. There are farmers taking risks.

02:25I'm told they are returning to abandoned land without military protection.

02:31They say it's more fertile and it's worth the money they have to pay to Boko Haram to use it.

02:36But security officials say these are the farmers that are being kidnapped and killed.

02:41And they are calling on people to stay within the area they can protect.

02:47This farmer survived an encounter with Boko Haram.

02:53I had been planting and getting my farm ready. That's when the terrorists came.

02:58They took our cell phones and money, also from our neighbours.

03:03Three people were kidnapped. They took them away and demanded ransom.

03:11The insecurity for farmers is worsening an already bad food crisis in the region.

03:16The UN's World Food Programme says 3 million people in Borno State are food insecure.

03:23At this aid facility in Maiduguri, malnutrition cases have reached record levels.

03:30Every year we see a surge of malnutrition cases.

03:34But since 2022 it has been different.

03:38So each year it increases actually and usually like a two-fold increase compared to the previous year.

03:45And then this year it's way much higher than even the previous years.

03:50So last week was very difficult actually for our team.

03:54Because we got so many patients coming in and also so many very sick also.

03:59Some of them could barely spend 24 hours and they died unfortunately.

04:05We lost a record number for a week I would say. Almost 30 something patients died.

04:12The rainfall has been better this season, raising hopes for a good harvest.

04:16But that will make farmers even more vulnerable to Boko Haram militants

04:20who will be looking to steal the crops they've worked hard to cultivate.

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