Some insurgents believed to be members of Boko Haram have killed at least forty farmers in Zamarmari area of Jere local government area of Borno state.
The farmers were killed at Kwashabe village, about 20 kilometers north of Maiduguri, Borno capital.
Nasiru Usman, one of the farmers who escaped during the attack, went to town with the news.
He said the attackers also abducted seven farmers.
Usman said trouble started after some farmers apprehended a Boko Haram insurgent who approached them with the request for food.
“Unknowingly, he was accompanied by dozens of other militants who were hiding inside the bush,” he said.
“So immediately they tied him and seized his gun, his other colleagues quickly stormed the scene, and opened fire on the farmers, while they took to their heels.
“At exactly 11am, the group declared blanket killing against all the farmers harvesting their products. They began by abducting seven.
“So far, we have recovered up to 45 bodies. Our civilian JTF, police and military are still searching for more bodies. We won’t know how many are missing so far for now since more bodies are still being found.”
Civilian Joint Task Force sources say sixty of the farmers were gathered before the assailants shot at close range or beheaded their victims.
It is not clear how many of the farmers were taken away, or how many were spared but a total of sixty persons were assembled before the bloodletting.
