•Gunmen abduct over 44 in Zamfara communities
• Insurgents attack two Adamawa battalions

The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, has described the recent killing of 15 farmers in Marte Local Council Area of Borno State by suspected terrorists as an attack on Nigeria’s efforts to attain food security.

In a statement yesterday, he lamented that “the innocent Nigerians lost their lives while working on their farms to earn a living and contribute to the food security of our nation.”

According to him, the killing of farmers is not only an attack on innocent lives and livelihoods but also on the collective efforts to achieve food security. However, he expressed the government’s commitment to create an environment where farmers could cultivate their lands safely and productively.

In another development, the Northern Senators Forum has demanded an immediate troop reinforcement along the Kopre-Sambisa corridor in Adamawa State after suspected insurgents attacked the 226 Battalion in Garkida and 232 Battalion in Garaha, killing soldiers and civilians and forcing residents from their communities.

The forum, led by Senator Abdulaziz Musa Yar’Adua, said the attacks amounted to an assault on Nigeria, warning that the renewed violence required an urgent and coordinated military response.

It called on the Defence Headquarters to strengthen its presence across the corridor and move against insurgent enclaves blamed for the recent attacks, which reportedly claimed three soldiers, a forest guard and civilians.

Meanwhile, in Zamfara State, gunmen suspected to be bandits reportedly abducted about 44 people, mostly women and children, who were forced into the nearby forest.

The attackers were said to have stormed Bungudu town and the villages of Yargada, Maikogo, and Magami district of Gusau and Maru local councils.

An escapee in Magama Mairake, Ibrahim Magaji, explained that the bandits, who came in large numbers, stormed the village at around 1:13 a.m., shooting sporadically before a house-to-house search for their targeted victims.

Also, the Gombe State Governor and Chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum, Inuwa Yahaya, has said that Boko Haram insurgents have been weakened but not completely defeated.

Yahaya spoke at the 13th meeting of the forum in Maiduguri, Borno State, where he identified insecurity as one of the major challenges still confronting northern Nigeria.

According to him, the persistent insecurity had made it difficult for many people displaced by violence to safely return to their communities.

He further expressed concern over the slow pace of major development projects planned for the region, including the Mambilla hydropower project, regional railway connections and broadband expansion.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International (AI) has condemned the killing of no fewer than 15 farmers and firewood gatherers in Marte Local Council Area of Borno State on Friday and called on the Nigerian government to bring perpetrators to justice.

It described the attack as a grave violation of international humanitarian law. According to AI, the victims were residents who had gone into the surrounding bush to gather firewood for cooking and livelihood when suspected Boko Haram fighters attacked them.

The organisation urged Nigerian authorities to urgently improve security for vulnerable communities across the North-east while ensuring that all actions respect human rights.