Iliyasu Abdullahi Bah
A renewed wave of brutal attacks by Boko Haram insurgents on agrarian communities in Borno State has left at least eight civilians dead, multiple homes and businesses destroyed, and has triggered a forceful response from Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume.
The attacks, which targeted the villages of Ngoshe and Mussa over the weekend, are more than isolated acts of violence they signal a deteriorating security situation that directly threatens Nigeria’s agricultural output and food security.
Senator Ndume’s call for “substantive security” underscores what he describes as a critical gap in the current counter-insurgency strategy, especially in protecting vulnerable rural populations and farmlands.
According to a resident, Yahaya Garandawa, the attacks unfolded on Saturday in Gwoza, when armed militants believed to be Boko Haram ambushed farmers working on their fields. “Five farmers were executed on their farmlands,” he told The Journal Nigeria. Yahaya added that the killings were meant to instill maximum fear and disrupt agricultural activity.
Later that night, the same community was invaded again. Gunmen killed three youths and set houses and shops ablaze, compounding the tragedy and creating a humanitarian crisis.
Simultaneous attacks were also reported in Mussa village in Askira/Uba Local Government Area, leading to more casualties, widespread property destruction, and forcing survivors to flee into displacement.
Senator Ndume, a longstanding voice on security issues in the Northeast, expressed profound grief and frustration in a statement, stressing the urgent need for a fundamental shift in Nigeria’s security strategy. He said the call for “substantive security” means moving away from reactive measures to a proactive, permanent, and robust security presence capable of holding territory and protecting citizens.
Security analysts have outlined concrete measures that could shield farmers from future attacks: increased deployment of personnel to vulnerable rural areas, provision of more sophisticated weapons and technology for ground troops, and enhanced air support and surveillance to monitor farmlands and forest hideouts used by insurgents.
Ndume further urged residents to remain vigilant and cooperate with security agencies, emphasizing that community resilience and unity are vital to defeating the insurgency.
A security expert noted that the targeting of farmers is not random but a calculated strategy by Boko Haram to destabilize the economy and assert territorial control in areas where the state struggles to maintain authority beyond urban centers.