The District Head of Zabarmari area of Borno, Zana Bukar, has debunked reports making the round that some women and girls were abducted during last Saturday’s attack by Boko Haram.
The rumour was attached to the 43 slain farmers by Boko Haram Terrorist group on Saturday, November 28, 2020 in Zabarmari, very close to Maiduguri, the Borno State.
It was claimed in some reports that the insurgents also abducted a number of women and girls from the village.
However speaking to The Punch on Friday, Bukar said that no woman or girl from the community is missing.
He said, “No, no, we didn’t lose any woman or single lady from this community to the attack. All those affected were young males between the ages of 13 and 30. Though some of them were newly-weds, some with very young families; others were mostly school-age boys who were hired to harvest on the farm for some fee.
“We heard the rumours that some women were also killed but it is not true. The governor was here; we confirmed to him that those slain were all males. So, I don’t know where that rumour emanated from, but definitely not from our village.”
Also speaking, Musa Ibrahim, father of 18-year-old Usmanu Musa killed by Boko Haram, lamented the killing of his son who he described as the breadwinner of the family.
“Sincerely I feel pained by this death. This boy was my first child. He was the breadwinner for the family,” he said.
“He was always providing for his mother and other siblings from the little he made. And he was always with me, helping in running errands for me at my workplace.
“I was originally into fishing before the Boko Haram terrorists came and destroyed all my stock and rendered me poor for about six years now. I have not been able to go back to my fishing business. So, I took to buying and selling grains, especially rice.
According to the United Nation’s report, 110 farmers were actually killed not 43, as the report described the killings as the “most violent attack” on civilians in 2020.
In a video on Tuesday, Abubakar Shekau, leader of a faction of the Boko Haram sect, claimed his group was responsible for the killing and said at least, 78 farmers were killed in the incident.
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