By Noah Ebije, Kaduna
Biu indigenes of Borno State resident in Kaduna under the auspices of Biu Forum (BF) has urged the military and other security operatives to be more proactive in tackling Boko Haram terrorism in Borno State and other parts of the country.
The BF’s call was coming on the heels of 43 rice farmers slaughtered few days ago by suspected Boko Haram insurgents in Zabarmari village of Jere Local Government Area of Borno State.
The Forum which is a non-political, non-religious and non-tribal association of Biu Emirate indigenes living in Kaduna, lamented the magnitude and inhuman murder of the farmers, calling on security operatives to step up their intelligence gathering mechanism to avert future occurrence.
In a statement by the national chairman of the Forum, Muhammad Ibrahim, it said, “The Biu Forum is saddened and deeply touched by the media reports of recent gruesome murder of 43 rice farmers on their farms in Zabarmari village of Jere Local Government Area of Borno State by some suspected Boko Haram terrorists. The barbaric murder of innocent farmers was callous, inhuman, wicked and one too many. The brazen mode of operation by the terrorists in slaughtering innocent people for whatever reasons cannot in any way address the perceived concerns or grievances of the perpetrators of these crimes.
“Biu Forum therefore joins other well meaning Nigerians to condemn the spate of killings by the Boko Haram insurgents . The Forum also strongly appeals to the military and other Security Agencies to rejig their intelligence gathering mechanism as well as community engagements and be more proactive in their operations in order to avert future occurrences of such incidences .
“Sustained Intelligence gathering and sharing must be the order of the day with very intimate relationship and peaceful coexistence with all the communities susceptible to attacks by the insurgents . Borno State has in the last decade been devastated socially and economically by the activities of the Boko Haram terrorists, hence the need for all hands to be on deck to put an end to this spate of bloodshed.
“The Forum extends its condolences to the Government and good people of Borno State as well as to all the families affected by the unfortunate incidence. May the souls of the departed rest in perfect peace.
“BF also seizes this opportunity to commend the efforts of the Borno State Governor, Prof Umar Baba Gana Zulum in resettling the internally displaced persons back to their ancestral homes . We urge Governor Zulum not to be distracted by the cowardly acts of the terrorists but continue with his efforts in not only mobilising relief materials but also providing reasonable accommodation to all the victims”.