Following the brutal massacre of about 110 farmers as reported by BBC, in Zabarmari Jere local government area of Borno State, the Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, has said that the 43 farmers killed by Boko Haram on Saturday, did not have military clearance to be on the rice farms when the attack happened.
He said this during an interview on BBC earlier today. He noted that although he wasn’t blaming the victims for what happened, he must tell the truth.
“The government is sad that this tragic incident has happened. 43 or thereabout of innocent farmworkers, most of them had their throats slit by a heartless band of terrorists. People need to know what it is like in the Lake Chad Basin area” he noted.
According to him, “Much of those areas have been liberated from Boko Haram terrorists but there are a number of spaces that have not been cleared for the return of villagers who have been displaced. So, ideally, all of these places ought to pass the test of military clearances before farmers or settlers resume activities on those fields,”.
When he was asked if he was in any way blaming the victims, he responded that “Not exactly but the truth has to be said. Was there any clearance by the military which is in total control of those areas? Did anybody ask to resume activity? I have been told by the military leaders that they had not been so advised and certainly, it was a window that the terrorists exploited”
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