The fear of being kidnapped is keeping farmers in Gajiganna in the Magumeri Local Government Area of Borno State from going to their lands.

The rainy season has just begun and it is the best time to start planting crops but the farmers are too scared. They say some residents have even been kidnapped in their homes.

Gajiganna is known for its agricultural production and for rearing livestock. It is also rich in oil.

A resident, Usman Gajiganna, told RNI that his neighbour was kidnapped around midnight on June 12.

“We did not hear anything. But when we woke up he was missing. His family told us that he had been abducted by unknown men. We don’t know whether they were criminals or insurgents. We are living in fear because we think we could be kidnapped at any time.

“We used to worry and complain about attacks by Boko Haram [Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’way Wa’l-Jihād – JAS]. But, in the past two years, kidnappings have become a problem. If the authorities in the Borno State don’t intervene, I’m afraid things will get worse. We are a poor community; we can’t do anything without help from the government. They need to send us security operatives – that’s the only way to ensure our safety.”

A resident, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “We depend on farming. But our situation is getting worse. Sometimes we have to soak raw grain and eat it like that because we don’t have firewood to cook it. But we have to eat something so that we have the energy to go and farm. If we can’t farm, we cannot take care of our families. But now more kidnappings are happening and we are afraid; people are being abducted not only on their farmlands but also in their homes.

“They kidnap us because they think we have money. But we don’t even have enough money even to eat properly. The kidnappers want a ransom and they won’t stop their actions. It’s hard and we are pleading with the government to intervene.”

Bulama Kazalla said: “Last year during the rainy season when we all go to our farm to plant crops there were many kidnappings. You will be on your land and strangers come to ask if the farm is yours. If you say yes, they take your children and hold them for ransom money.

“Many of us started farming on the outskirts of town because we were too scared to go to our lands. But farming on the outskirts of town does not allow us to produce enough crops. We need to be able to farm properly to feed our families and sell our harvests.”

Kazalla said there had not been any kidnappings for a while.

“We were relieved and thought we were safe. Then one of our neighbours was kidnapped from his house last week. Now we are frightened again.”

Earlier this month, on June 6, security operatives successfully foiled an attack by insurgents in Gajiganna.

At the time, residents told RNI that the insurgents arrived on bikes and in vehicles. They were shooting haphazardly. Residents ran to their homes to escape and wait for troops to arrive.

A resident, Modu Zarami, said: “It has been so long since we were last attacked that it really frightened us. One man was killed and one was kidnapped and is still with the insurgents.

AISHA SD JAMAL