The Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) has distributed and disbursed food items and N20 million to families of 67 slain Zabarmari farmers in the village. According to the agency, the disbursed cash was provided by the Northern Governors’ Forum (NGF) and Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, while distributed food items came from SEMA. Zabarmari is a farming and herding community, 20 kiometres northeast of Maiduguri, the state capital. The 67 farmers were working on their rice fields, when Boko Haram terrorists slit their throats without firing a gunshot to prevent troops being heard of attacks. While distributing food items in Zabarmari village at the weekend, SEMA’s Chairperson, Hajiya Yabawa Kolo disclosed that; “Each bereaved family member got N600,000 and 10 bags of 12.5kg of maize and millet, two cartons of cooking oil, Maggie seasoning cubes and tomato paste. She said that the distributed food items and cash were part of social support to enable the bereaved pick up their lives. “These will stabilize them from the loss of their loved ones,” she noted. Speaking of the 30,000 Zabarmari households, she said that they will also get their own food items. According to her, the food items comprise two bags each of rice, a bag of beans, two sachets of Maggi seasoning cubes, salt and a three-litre cooking oil. While assuring the households, she said: “What we have on ground is a supply for 30,000 households. Every household in Zabarmari will get its ration,” Some residents of the village lauded the government and other people for their concern and support shown to them at this trying period. They however, called for more security to be provided in the community and their farmlands. A farmer, Hamidu Isa also said: “We want adequate protection, particularly at this critical moment to enable us harvest our rice. “Information reaching us indicated that the insurgents have commenced burning our rice fields in the outskirts of Zabarmari.” “Government needs to send soldiers to chase them away before we lose our expected bumper harvest worth millions of naira.”
