No fewer than nine women were reportedly abducted by suspected Boko Haram gunmen in attacks on farmlands around Bama within the last two days.
Bama, a local government headquarters in Borno State, is about 68 kilometres Southeast of Maiduguri, the state capital.
Those abducted comprise six women and three girls.
Sources said farmers are now scared of going to outskirts of their town to harvest crops.
It is customary in the state for women and grownup girls to participate in the harvest of crops like beans, millet and groundnuts grown by their male folks.
On Wednesday, three girls were abducted by unknown gunmen after setting out to fetch firewood in the nearby bushes of Bama town.
The gunmen who crept on the girls took them at gunpoint to unknown destination.
Just as the residents of the recently liberated town were coming to terms with the development, news reached the town on Thursday that six women out in the field harvesting crops were also abducted. Their man who accompanied them was also killed in the field.
An official of the Civilian-JTF, Ba’a Gonyi, who arrived Maiduguri from Bama, told PREMIUM TIMES that “there has been palpable tension in the town.”
“We are really petrified by the happening in Bama in the last 48 hours,” he said.
“On Wednesday they abducted and left with three girls and yesterday (Thursday) six women were taken away by the same gunmen who attacked them in the farmlands.
“A man that was with them in the farm was shot dead. This has scared us badly and everyone is in the state of worry now.
“This is even more disturbing because the women were out in the bush to harvest crops from the farms while some of the girls were fetching firewood when they were kidnapped.
“Now many farmers whose crops have matured are scared of going to the farms for harvest.
“Honestly, we are all afraid and we want government to immediate action on this before it gets out of hand. And we don’t even know what next will happen.”
Since the reclaim and liberation of Bama town by the military, after nearly two years of Boko Haram occupation, the town is not only surrounded by sand parapets but also surrounded by the combined force of soldiers and police officers.
Despite such fortification, the Boko Haram gunmen still afford to take their attacks to the neighborhoods of Bama.
“Bama is surrounded by soldiers as I speak to you now; but these gunmen could still bring attack to us,” said Mr. Gonyi.
The military and the police are yet to issue official statements on the situations in Bama.
https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/296080-tension-in-borno-as-boko-haram-abducts-nine-women-kills-man.html
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