Tragedy struck the Kuyello District of Birnin Gwari Local Government Area in Kaduna State on Monday as armed bandits invaded the Kujijiro farmlands, killing at least nine farmers.
According to local sources, the victims were cultivating their fields when the heavily armed attackers suddenly arrived and opened fire on them.
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A security expert and community leader, Ishaq Kasai, confirmed the tragic development to PREMIUM TIMES late Monday. He added that several farmers were yet to be accounted for.
“I can confirm that the attack took place today and that nine of our farmers were unfortunately killed while working on their farmlands,” said Mr Kasai.
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Mr Kasai, a former Chairman of the Birnin-Gwari Emirate Progressive Union (BEPU), however, declined to provide the identities of the deceased, citing sensitive “security reasons.”
As of the time of filing this report, the police and state security officials had yet to issue official statements on the massacre.
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This latest attack strikes a devastating blow to the fragile stability of the Birnin Gwari Emirate after the government brokered peace between the armed bandits and the crop farmers.
The area, regarded as one of Kaduna State’s primary agricultural hubs, has seen a worrying resurgence of criminal acts.
With the rainy season reaching its peak and farming activities intensifying, agrarian communities are increasingly gripped by fear.
Many farmers in the district now face an agonizing dilemma: risk their lives to tend their crops, or abandon them and face economic ruin and hunger.
Community leaders have repeatedly warned that the targeting of rural farmers by armed elements could lead to food insecurity in the area.
