More than 110 rice farmers were killed by suspected Boko Haram insurgents on Saturday evening at Zabarmari village, in Jere Local Government Area of Borno State.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari strongly condemned the killings and sent his condolences to the victims’ families. He said he would pray the victim’s souls to rest in peace.

A relative of one of the victims, who did not want to be named, told RNI reporter Umar Gonimi that his brother was decapitated. His brother, whom he described as hard working and patriotic, had been farming rice for many years He was killed at a house close to his farm.

He said his brother and fellow rice farmers normally spent their nights on their farms so that they could work from morning to evening.

“One of the farmers who escaped told me that the insurgents arrived, gathered them together and said they [in insurgents] told the farmers they would preach to them.

The insurgents took the farmers to Koshe Hopsital and asked the farmers to enter two by two.

The farmers believed the insurgents were preaching to the men. They heard only later that the farmers were being killed one by one. After killing more than 30 of the farmers, one of the insurgents, who was standing at the gate, saw 10 of the farmers sitting outside and he took pity on them.

He told them that if they went inside they, too, would be murdered.

“You must quickly jump over the fence and run into the forest to save your lives,” the insurgent said.

Five rice farmers from Koshe, two from Laje, one from the Gubio Local Government had been decapitated. Other victims came from from Kano, Kastina and Sokoto.

Mommodu from Koshe condemned the killings. He said he and many others had joined the state governor in prayer for more than 40 of the dead. They urged the governor for support, saying they had no place to go. They told him insurgents raided the village on a daily basis to encourage the residents to join them.

“We have decided to leave the village because of their frequent visits,” he said.