Zabarmari Massacre: Targeting farmers is cowardly ploy to detract troops momentum, says group

…demands more boots on ground, better equipment for military

Citizens’ Initiative for Security Awareness (CISA) has condemned the killing of 43 unarmed farmers in Zabarmari village, Borno State by Boko Haram terrorists describing it as very cowardly act and a weak ploy to detract and distract the military from their sustained bombardment.

In a statement jointly signed by the National Coordinator, Chidi Omeje and Coordinating Secretary, Aliyu Ibrahim, the group condoled with the families of the victims, people and government of Borno State on the horrific killing of the hapless villagers. The group stated that the dastardly act is a clear indication that the Boko Haram terrorists are desperate to register their waning presence and to distract the troops who are pounding them in various fronts.

“Denied of any respite or sanctuary, the dispersed terrorist groups are now after soft targets because that is the only way they can make any statement. When was the last time you heard that the terrorists got an upper hand in any direct confrontation with our troops?”

“The Nigerian military has for some time now been dealing heavy blows on the blood thirsty group with sustained bombardments from land and air, and of course the only way they can remain in the news is by targeting the most vulnerable folks like the unarmed farmers from Zabarmari village and killing them in such cold-blooded manner”.

The statement continued, “The terrible development has once again brought to the fore the concerns CISA has often raised about the proliferating internal security challenges across the country in which our military are deployed to assist the civil police. We are of the strong opinion that in order to effectively carryout the war against terrorists in the North East, battle bandits in North West and fight all manner of violent criminals across the country, there is the urgent need to increase the boots on the ground.

“There has to be aggressive recruitment to beef up the strength of our military and more funding for better equipment and training of our troops. We believe that in terms of number of troops and equipment that are required for our military to be able to give us the result we need, we are far from what is realistic”.

The group urged Nigerians not to lose hope in the capability or commitment of the military to successfully rout the terrorists as according to them, the isolated act of cowardice by the terror group will only spur our gallant troops into action. They urged Nigerians to continue support and pray for their military no matter the heartrending incident in Zabarmari.