43 agricultural workers killed in Nigeria with their throats slashed

43 people have been killed in an attack in northeast Nigeria that the country's president has described as 'unthinkable'. According to reports from the region, agricultural workers working in rice fields near Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, were tied up and killed with their throats cut.

No one has yet claimed responsibility for the bloodiest attack in months in the region, where Boko Haram and the West African arm of ISIS are active.

"THE COUNTRY HAS BEEN ROCKED BY THESE SENSELESS MURDERS"

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari "I condemn the killing of our hardworking farmers by terrorists in Borno state. The whole country has been rocked by these senseless murders. My thoughts are with the grieving families," he said. According to his spokesman Garba Shehu, Buhari also said that "the murders of terrorists are unthinkable."

"WE FOUND 43 BODIES, ALL SLAUGHTERED"

"We found 43 bodies, all of them were slaughtered, and six others were seriously injured," a militia assisting survivors of the attack told AFP news agency. While other bodies were later reported to have been found, the exact number of victims is not known. Among the reports that 15 women were also kidnapped.

Another militia told AFP that the victims were agricultural workers from Sokoto State in the country's Southwest, who traveled a thousand kilometers to find work and traveled to northeast Nigeria.

"OUR PEOPLE ARE UNDER VERY DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES"

The funeral for the victims was attended by Babagana Zulum, Governor of Borno state. The governor called on the federal government to send more troops to protect farmers in the region. Zulum "our people are under very difficult conditions. On the one hand, if they stay in their homes, they will starve to death, and on the other, if they work in the fields, they will risk being killed by the rebels. This is very sad," he said.

THEY HAVE BEEN TARGETS OF BOKO HARAM BEFORE

Ahmed Satomi, a member of the provincial parliament, told the Premium Times that the farmers were killed when they took the gun of a Boko Haram militant who tortured them on Friday and arrested them. Farmers have previously been targeted by Boko Haram militants suspected of providing information about them to the military.

LAST MONTH, 22 FARMERS WERE KILLED

Last month, Boko Haram militants killed 22 farmers in two separate attacks. Despite efforts to thwart Boko Haram's attacks, the organization has stepped up its attacks in recent months.