'We fear for our souls' - farmers on the frontline against Boko Haram
10 minutes ago Share Save Ijeoma Ndukwe Borno state Share Save
Ayo Bello / BBC Aisha Isa is one of many growers escorted by bus and armed by guards
As women water vegetables and uproot weeds in a rural corner of north-eastern Nigeria, men in uniform stand guard nearby holding huge rifles. They are Agro Rangers - a special security unit set up by the government to defend farmers from militants from jihadist groups Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (Iswap), who can strike farms in Borno state at any time. "There is fear - we fear for our souls," Aisha Isa, 50, tells the BBC as she tends to her crops. Because it is no longer safe for her family to live in the home they fled 11 years ago, she and many others like her are bussed into Dalwa village from a pick-up point in the state capital, Maiduguri, early in the morning. it is less than an hour's drive away. She now lives in temporary housing, and growing beans and maize remains the only way for her to feed her family, she says.
Continue Reading on BBC News
This preview shows approximately 15% of the article. Read the full story on the publisher's website to support quality journalism.