At least 15 people who specialized in hunting grasshoppers popularly called ‘Fara’ in Hausa have been slaughtered in the bushes between Gubio and Mobbar Local Government Areas of Borno state by suspected members of dreaded Boko Haram sect. Sources have said.
The incident which happened a week ago have caused scarcity and raised the price of the commodity in Maiduguri, the state capital, as a small measure of fried Fara which stood at N500 in the past now sales between N1200 and above. According to a security source who were mobilized to the scene told our Correspondent that the insurgents clashed with the victims in the bushes near Kareto community, north of the state. This incident is coming barely two weeks when the military of ‘Operation Lafiya Dole’ reopened the Maiduguri- Gubio- Damasak road for motorists. The source revealed that “15 people were killed by terrorists while combing bushes around Kareto area to hunt grasshoppers. “When the grasshopper hunters were in the bush, some group of terrorists suddenly appeared and started shooting sporadically, after which they killed one of the hunters before slaughtering 14 and fled without no arrest”. The source said.
Also speaking on the killings, Mrs. Hanatu Jauro who fries Fara in Maiduguri, told our Correspondent in an interview that since the incident occured, she have been finding it very difficult to get the commodity for sale, as one of her customer was among those killed in the ambush. All effort to get confirmation from the Police Public Relations Officer, Victor Isuku proves abortive as his cell phone lines were not reacheable at press time