‘Unrelenting’ insecurity: Nigeria reels after massacre of farmers

Security forces and volunteer vigilante groups in northeastern Nigeria are searching to find people still missing after dozens of civilians working in rice fields were slaughtered by armed men over the weekend.

Locals say they recovered 43 bodies after Saturday’s attacks in villages near Maiduguri, the capital of the restive Borno state, which has been plagued by an armed campaign for more than 10 years.

Amid divergent figures, the United Nations late on Sunday amended an earlier statement putting the death toll at 110 people to say that “tens of civilians were ruthlessly killed and many others were wounded” in the “brutal” assault that was led by men on motorcycles.

In the statement, Edward Kallon, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator in Nigeria, also cited “reports that several women may have been kidnapped” and called for their immediate release and return to safety.

In Zabarmari village, where a funeral was held for the victims of the attack on Sunday morning, a local resident who identified himself as Umar said “no one knows the exact number of people killed”.

“We can’t account for some farmers who were there during the attack,” Umar told Al Jazeera. “We don’t know if they are still hiding inside the bush or if the attackers kidnapped them,” he said, adding that local members of government-backed vigilante groups were currently conducting search operations.

“We have buried the ones we can find and hopefully we will recover more when the vigilante men return from their search,” Umar said.

“We have buried the ones we can find and hopefully we will recover more when the vigilante men return from their search,” Umar said.
‘Insecurity is pervasive, unrelenting’

But the news of the latest gruesome attack – one account reportedly said the attackers tied up the men and women harvesting crops and slit their throats – was met with outrage across the country.

On social media, many expressed indignation at the government’s failure to stop the bloodshed despite repeated promises. People called for a review of the country’s security system, including the dismissal of security chiefs.

“Contrary to the government’s trite, predictable assertions, it is obvious that insecurity is pervasive, unrelenting in Nigeria. The Buhari administration and the security agencies are wanting in tackling the security challenges bedevilling Nigeria,” Don Okereke, a security analyst, told Al Jazeera.

“The bitter truth is that Boko Haram have not been defeated, tactically or otherwise. A swathe of land in the northeast and northwest of the country can be likened to ungoverned space, hence terrorists will continue to launch sporadic attacks,” he said.

Most of the victims of Saturday’s assault were reported to be labourers hailing from Sokoto state in northwest Nigeria who were hired to work some 1,000km (620 miles) away on rice farms in Borno state.

“Pragmatically speaking, it is difficult to guarantee protection for farmers in northern Nigeria, nay other parts of the country because Nigerian security agencies are currently stretched and security agents cannot be everywhere at every point in time,” Okereke added.

After attending Sunday’s funeral, Borno State Governor Babagana Umara Zulum said people in the region were facing grim choices as they strive to survive.

“On one side, they stay at home [and] they may be killed by hunger and starvation,” Zulum said. “On the other, they go out to their farmlands and risk getting killed by the insurgents.”

Al Jazeera

Related stories: Scores Killed In Massacre Of Farmers In Nigeria

Video - At least 110 civilians killed in ‘gruesome’ Nigeria massacre

Video - At least 110 civilians killed in ‘gruesome’ Nigeria massacre

The UN says at least 110 civilians have been killed and many injured in attacks on two villages in northeast Nigeria. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. but the armed group Boko Haram has carried out a series of deadly assaults in the area in recent years. Security forces are looking for dozens more villagers who are missing, many of them women. It is the worst attack on civilians in Borno state this year. President Muhammadu Buhari claimed five years ago that Boko Haram had been defeated.

Mob beats suspected kidnapper to death in Nigeria

A yet-to-be identified middle-aged man, accused of attempting to kidnap a boy, was on Saturday beaten to death by a mob in Omuo Ekiti, headquarters of Ekiti East Local Government Area, Ekiti State.

The incident occurred at Iludofin quarters of Omuo Ekiti where the deceased attempted to kidnap a seven-year-old boy but was apprehended by angry youths.

An eyewitness revealed that the incident happened around 2:30p.m. when the pupils were returning from school. He disclosed that the attempted kidnapping went sour when a man, who was defecating in a nearby bush, sighted the deceased and raised the alarm as the suspected kidnapper was forcibly dragging the boy into the surrounding bush.

Residents were said to have trooped out en masse and pounced on the suspect, beating him to coma.

“The suspect was trailing the boy home from school. When he realised that he had reached a footpath, he pounced on him and started dragging him into the bush. It was a man who was looking from afar that raised an alarm and the people caught him in the act and beat him to stupor. It was later that the police arrived and took him to the station.”

While confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer, Ekiti Command, ASP Sunday Abutu, said the man died immediately he got to the police station.

Abutu said it was the High Chief Odofin of Iludofin quarters that reported the matter to the police.

“When we got the information, the police rushed to the scene of the incident, but the man had already gone into coma.

“The mob was thick, but the police tried and rescued him and the intention was to first take him to the station for a cover before taking him to the hospital for medical attention. Unfortunately, he died in the station as a result of the beating”.

Abutu said the suspect’s body had been deposited in the morgue at Omuo Ekiti General Hospital while investigation into the matter continues.

The police spokesman, however, cautioned against jungle justice, advising that any suspect arrested should be handed over to the police for investigation and prosecution.

By Ayodele Afolabi

The Guardian

Scores Killed In Massacre Of Farmers In Nigeria

Scores are dead after armed men on motorcycles gruesomely attacked agricultural workers in northeastern Nigeria.

Officials say the attack occurred Saturday in the country's Borno state. Multiple outlets report that suspected Islamist militants attacked the farmers while they were harvesting the fields in a rural part of the state.

Residents told Reuters at least 70 were killed during attack. A U.N. official in the region, Edward Kallon, said "tens" of civilians were killed.

"The incident is the most violent direct attack against innocent civilians this year. I call for the perpetrators of this heinous and senseless act to be brought to justice," said Kallon, who serves as the resident and humanitarian coordinator in Nigeria.

The U.N. Security Council said that "those responsible for these terrorist attacks should be held accountable."

Reuters reports that 30 of the victims were beheaded in the attack. At least ten women were reportedly still missing as of Sunday.

Though no one has claimed responsibility, Reuters and the BBC note that at least two militant groups are active in the area: Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province.

Both groups have carried out massacres in the region before. More than 37,000 people have died in incidents involving Boko Haram, the Council on Foreign Relationsestimates.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said: "I condemn the killing of our hard-working farmers by terrorists in Borno state. The entire country is hurt by these senseless killings. My thoughts are with their families in this time of grief. May their souls rest in peace," the BBC reported.

On Sunday, 43 of those killed were buried in a service, according to Reuters, where the governor of Borno, Babagana Zulum, called on the federal government to recruit more forces to protect farmers in the area.

Zulum also made reference to rising food prices in the country, while speaking at the burials.

"In one side, they stay at home [where] they may be killed by hunger and starvation, on the other, they go out to their farmlands and risk getting killed by the insurgents," Zulum said, Reuters reported.

By Jason Slotkin

NPR

Diego Maradona remembered as 'best thing to happen to football' by 1994 Nigeria Super Eagles stars

Nigeria was the last international opponent faced by the legendary Diego Maradona, at the 1994 World Cup in the United States, and members of that Super Eagles squad have paid tribute to the late football genius, adding their own insights into the man with whom they say they were honored to have shared a pitch.

Maradona, who died Wednesday at age 60 in Argentina, led his country almost single-handedly to the World Cup title in 1986, scoring what are considered to be the most infamous and greatest goals in the tournament's history.

His storied career with the Albiceleste came to an abrupt end against Nigeria in Foxborough, Massachusetts, near Boston.

The Super Eagles, making their first World Cup appearance, were brimming with confidence, having won the Africa Cup of Nations a few months earlier, and bursting at the seams with young, exciting talent around an experienced backbone.

But even they were awed by the legend of Maradona.

Midfielder Sunday Oliseh was tasked with the responsibility of keeping close tabs on Maradona, and he explained to ESPN the difficulty of the task.

"When I was playing at Standard Liege, I had a poster of Maradona on my wall with the Argentina team from the 1986 World Cup because, growing up, there were only two players that I could say that really made me dream each time I saw them play: That was Pele and Maradona," Oliseh told ESPN.

"He was going to be my direct opponent during the game. I knew that and so the night before, I went to bed early so I could rest and focus. When we got on the pitch that day, it was just that Nigerian mentality of never wanting to give up that helped me stand up to him. It took us about 10 minutes just to begin to figure him out, because his movement was so unpredictable. Even when he had his back turned to you, it was like he had eyes at the back of his head.

"So after about 10 minutes, I told myself there was only one solution; either brutalize this man or get humiliated. Luckily for me, I was slightly bigger and he was not a 26-year-old anymore. I think that was what helped me. So I can understand how those who played against him in '86 must have suffered.

"If you speak to anyone who has been on the pitch against Diego, they will tell you that he had something that you could never really put your finger on. You may call it an X factor, but it was more than that. It was something you can never describe in words."

Oliseh was 19 at the time, and he said it was an honour to have shared the pitch with Maradona, who was then 33. He says the experience helped him as a player.

"Having had the opportunity to play against him was a very special occasion for me," Oliseh told ESPN.

"Psychologically, it was after that game that I really had the confidence that I could go as far as playing in the biggest clubs in the world because, having been able to compete against him, with the esteem I held him at the time, and still hold for him, it means I could play against anybody."

Goalkeeper Peter Rufai, who conceded twice against Argentina, recalled the nonstop battle of wits that went on between Maradona and himself -- one he has no shame in conceding that he lost.

"He was always looking in my direction whenever he came close to the box," Rufai told ESPN.

"He had this way of always looking at me, always reading me but without making it obvious that he was doing it. Like he was measuring me, my position, and anticipating what I would do next.

"He was like a prowling lion, looking for breakthroughs, for opportunities to break into a solo effort.

"On my part, I kept one eye on him and one eye on the rest of the game. I was tracking him all through because his movement can be devastating. All it would take is one pass or one run so I tried to stay alert. I was always calling [Sunday] Oliseh, or Uche [Okechukwu] or [Augustine] Eguavoen to stay alert.

"Any time he got the ball, I knew it could be a game-changer. So as I watched him, I also tried to anticipate who was available in space for him to pass the ball to. It was an enjoyable tactical battle for me that we played in the field. I enjoyed playing that battle of wits with him all through the game."

Samson Siasia gave Nigeria the lead with a crafty goal, but the Argentines, inspired by whom else but Maradona, stormed back to win 2-1.

Argentina's winning goal was all about Maradona's quick thinking and guile, and Claudio Cannigia's execution.

Rufai explained the winner from his position in Nigeria's goal.

"When the free kick was given, I looked at him and saw him looking so I was trying to anticipate him making a long pass. And at the same time, I was checking my wall while I tried to use my peripheral vision to keep him in view. That was my mistake.

"The next thing I knew, he had disappeared, Cannigia was in front of me, and I saw the ball flying past me like a rocket into the angle.

"I knew it was gone and there was nothing I could do about it, but I just felt like I needed to do something and so I dived even though I knew it was hopeless.

"By the time I took off, the ball was already at its destination.

"It was an honour to play against him, to share the same pitch with him, to see him move. This is someone that many people dream of just meeting but a few of us were fortunate to actually play on the same pitch with him. My heart is broken."

Oliseh said the loss felt from Maradona's death goes beyond football.

"It's a different kind of sadness," Oliseh told ESPN.

"It pains in a way that I cannot describe. It is a very strange feeling, like I felt when I heard about the death of [Nigerian soccer legend Stephen] Keshi.

"We lost something today. The world lost something today, not just football.

"He was the best thing to happen to football. He modernized the sport, he transitioned from what Pele had done and took it to a modern level. I personally hold him and Pele as the greatest ever. They were originators, not imitators."

For 1994 African Footballer of the Year Emmanuel Amunike, another member of Nigeria's midfield in Massachusetts, Maradona's legacy will never fade.

"Maradona represented a lot of things," Amunike told ESPN.

"He was somebody that people like us looked up to as player. Watching him at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico was like magic. To have had the opportunity to play against him was a great privilege for me.

"He will always remain unforgettable, a legend and a great icon."

By Colin Udon

ESPN