Over 500 Farmers Trapped in Baga After Deadly ISWAP Attacks in Borno

Over 500 farmers and their families from Gwoza Local Government Area (LGA) are currently trapped in Baga town, Borno State, after fleeing brutal attacks by Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) militants in northeastern Kukawa. The violence, which struck Kwata Yobe and Tudun Kanta on Sunday, has left many dead and others injured.

Abbah Gwoza, leader of the displaced farmers, explained that the victims had fled ISWAP-controlled territories following a recent wave of violence. This new round of bloodshed coincided with a joint rescue operation by the Nigerian Army, Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), and relatives seeking to recover the bodies of deceased farmers. However, the operation was abruptly halted when ISWAP militants from the Tumbum Shanu region ambushed the rescue team, resulting in intense gunfire. Two soldiers and a CJTF member were wounded, and 43 bodies were eventually buried after the assault.

The farmers, who have cultivated crops like beans and onions in the Lake Chad Basin for over thirty years, had previously struck a deal with ISWAP to continue farming under the insurgents’ control. Each farmer paid ₦10,000 for every hectare of land and donated a portion of their harvest as zakat. However, this fragile arrangement broke down when the farmers forged a new agreement with a Boko Haram faction, the Buduma group, to farm additional land near Baga for the dry season.

ISWAP discovered the farmers’ dealings with Boko Haram and, suspecting collaboration with a rival militant group, launched an assault on the farming communities. Many farmers were killed, and others injured. Survivors reported that ISWAP militants questioned them about their tax payments before opening fire.

During the attacks, several farmers’ wives were kidnapped and are believed to have been taken to ISWAP safe houses, further intensifying the suffering of the displaced families.