By Abdulkareem Haruna

The security situation in Northeast Nigeria is increasingly precarious as terrorists redirect  their attacks on vulnerable civilians, mostly farmers working in the fields.

Today, Nov. 5, a well-known businessman based in Maiduguri, Kellum Alhaji-Gana, was killed in an attack by suspected Boko Haram gunmen at his farm in Bama.

According to accounts of those familiar with the sad incident, the assailants intended to kidnap Alhaji-Gana and his associates.

News of Alhaji-Gana’s murder has sparked significant reaction on social media, with family members, friends, and associates mourning his passing.

Sources familiar with the incident said that the gunmen invaded the farm, rounded up the workers, and attempted to kidnap them. Alhaji-Gana, who reportedly resisted, the assailants got shot. 

The attackers reportedly kidnapped four other individuals, leaving Alhaji-Gana’s body at the farm.

Family members recall that Alhaji-Gana departed from Maiduguri on Sunday morning to oversee the harvest at his Bama farm, where he tragically lost his life.

“He informed his wife he was going to bring back some of the beans being harvested from his farm. No more than an hour after his departure, the incident occurred,” shared a family member, Yagana Abba.

Abba further confirmed that “five individuals, including Kellum, had traveled to the farm. Only Kellum was killed because he resisted the abduction. The gunmen forced the four others into the surrounding. Other nearby farmers who witnessed the incident from a distance said they saw him grappling with the gunmen for some time. He seemed to be overpowering his assailants – given his sizable stature – before they retreated, and then opened fire at him.”

Attacks on farmers have become an increasingly common and troubling occurrence, particularly during peak harvest season in Borno state.

As of this writing, the police have yet to release an official statement regarding the incident. The Borno state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Daso Nahum, , said the command hasn’t received an official report on the incident from the police divisional office yet. But he confirmed knowledge of the incident.

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