Islamic militants kill 7 farmers in northeast Nigeria, further threatening food supplies

By HARUNA UMAR
Associated Press

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) — Local authorities in northeast Nigeria say Islamic extremist rebels have killed at least seven farmers. Militants have tried for more than a decade to launch an insurgency there against the Nigerian government. The local officials said the farmers were working in their Borno state crop fields when the rebels attacked them on Thursday. A member of a local security group said Friday that some victims had their throats slit while others were “completely beheaded.” Aid groups and analysts have warned that such attacks targeting farmers in the troubled region could cause more hunger and hardship for many in the West African nation.