Islamic Militants Massacre Christian Farmers in Nigeria

By Stefan J. Bos, Special Correspondent Worthy News

(Worthy News) – Funeral services were underway in northeast Nigeria on Monday after more than 100 people were killed in suspected Islamic attacks over the weekend.

Church sources said among those killed are scores of mainly Christian farmworkers in the village of Koshobe near the main city of Maiduguri.

The assailants reportedly tied up the agricultural workers and slit their throats. The victims included workers from Sokoto state in north-west Nigeria, about 1,000km (600 miles) away. They had traveled to the north-east to find work, authorities said. Six others were wounded in the violence and eight remained missing.

The Borno state governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, already attended the burial for murdered victims on Sunday in the nearby village of Zabarmari. Christians counted 43 bodies recovered on Saturday, but warned the toll could rise after search operations resumed.

No group immediately claimed the attack but officials said it carried the hallmarks of Boko Haram militants.

MILITANTS HISTORY

They were terrorizing the region for more than 10 years and tried to take control of part of the territory, according to Christians familiar with the case.

At least 110 people were killed in the latest round of violence, according to the United Nations humanitarian coordinator in the country. They were “ruthlessly killed and many others were wounded in this attack,” said Edward Kallo.

“The incident is the most violent direct attack against innocent civilians this year,” Kallon said, adding: “I call for the perpetrators of this heinous and senseless act to be brought to justice.”

However, the violence underlined broader concerns in Ethiopia about attacks against Christian farmers and others.

MANY MURDERED

Advocacy group Christian Concern (ICC) estimates between 50,000 and 70,000 Christians were killed over the last decade in the West African nation, the most populous on the continent.

Nigeria’s 206 million people are almost evenly divided between Muslims and Christians. Islam is the dominant faith in the North, and Christianity in the South.

M Most killings take place in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, where the halves of the country meet.

Attacks by Islamic Fulani herders and others had a devastating effect on Christian farmers. Thousand have fled, leaving behind fertile farmlands.

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