‘We fear for our souls’

As women water vegetables and pull weeds in a rural area in northeastern Nigeria, men in military uniform stand nearby carrying massive 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 the Islamic State in West Africa (Iswap), who could strike farms in Borno State at any time.

“There is fear,” Aisha Issa, 50, told the BBC as she tended to her crops. “We fear for our lives.”

Because it was no longer safe for her family to live in the house they fled 11 years ago, she and several others like her were bussed to Dalwa village from the assembly point in the state capital, Maiduguri, early in the morning. It’s less than an hour’s drive away.

She says she now lives in temporary housing, and growing beans and corn is the only way to feed her family.

“We will take the risk and come even if the guards do not come.”

Here, the army designated an area of ​​land, surrounded by clearly defined trenches, where people could grow their crops. If they venture beyond those limits, the threat of Boko Haram looms large.

“We heard about people being kidnapped,” says 42-year-old Mustafa Musa. “Some were killed. That’s why I’m afraid and I don’t want to go back without security protection.”

The father of ten says he left his village, Konduga, 13 years ago and will not settle there until the government achieves permanent security.

In the fifteen years since the start of the Islamist insurgency in northeastern Nigeria, thousands of people have died and millions have been forced from their homes.

The number of people killed in targeted attacks on farmers this year has more than doubled since 2024, according to research by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Monitoring Group (Acled).

However, the Governor of Borno State is working to accelerate the reintegration of displaced people from the camps and return them to the land – as part of his stabilization agenda, and to address disruptions in food production.

The United Nations has warned that nearly four million people face food insecurity in conflict zones in northeastern Nigeria. But some aid agencies say the move to move farmers to boost farming has moved too quickly.

The International Crisis Group, a non-profit focused on resolving the deadly conflict, says the policy puts internally displaced people at risk — highlighting that armed groups are blackmailing farmers in areas they control to raise money for violent extremism.

Kidnapped with nine other farmers and still feeling terrified long after the ordeal, Abu Mustafa Mohammed has witnessed first-hand what happens when victims don’t pay up.

“One person was killed because he could not pay the ransom,” says Mr. Mohammed. “His family could not meet the deadline.” “He was killed and thrown away. They asked his family to come and take the body.”

He says that being held in a dense forest for three days was “unbearable.” “The small meals they prepared often made us hungry and gave us diarrhoea. There was no clean drinking water.”

The father of three told the BBC that he feared returning to subsistence farming because “the rebels are still lurking. Just yesterday, they kidnapped more than 10 people.”

Despite stories like this, Mohammed Hassan Agalama, the commander who leads the Agro Rangers scheme in Borno, insists that the rangers are deterring militants from launching violent attacks.

“We have not encountered more terrorists who come to attack farmers because they know that we are fully present on the ground at the time of the agricultural season,” says CDT Agalama, who operates under the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC).

James Poulos, spokesman for the NSCDC, says the government is making gains in its fight against the rebels. “The harvest alone is there to tell you that normalcy is back, and farmers are going about their normal farm business,” he told the BBC.

But he admits that resources are insufficient.

Agro Rangers is a small-scale project and not a long-term solution to widespread regional insecurity.

“We cannot be everywhere. We are not spirits. Can 600 armed agricultural guards cover entire farms in Maiduguri? No.”

For this reason, the Nigerian Federal Government says it plans to expand the Agro Rangers scheme.

Ladd Sirwat, senior Africa analyst at Acled, says this year has seen a rise in reported civilian deaths due to attacks targeting farmers by armed groups.

Furthermore, during the first half of 2025, reported killings by Boko Haram and Eswab reached their highest level in five years.

In downtown Maiduguri, a group of farmers gather at the home of Adam Goni, head of the Borno branch of the National Association of Sorghum Producers, Processors and Marketers.

Men sit on rugs under the broad branches of a tree, while two women sit on mats in the shade of a nearby veranda, while goats and chickens roam the compound.

The lives of the entire group have been irrevocably changed by the violence.

Among them is Baba Modu, whose 30-year-old nephew was shot dead on his farm by Boko Haram.

“It hurts me a lot,” he says. “They killed humans like an ant, without any remorse. The killings we witnessed were devastating, but this year is the worst. When I go out on the farm, there is a constant death threat. I don’t have peace of mind even at home – I often sleep with my eyes open, feeling like we might be under attack.”

Mr. Modou sometimes sank into his chair and paused in deep contemplation. He says the ongoing insecurity is weighing on him and the community.

“Even if you are starving and food is scarce, you cannot go to the farm. When we try, they kick us out or even kill us. In the beginning, they used to demand ransom when they kidnapped someone, but now they collect money and kill the person they kidnapped.”

Many farmers, like Modu, say the militants are able to outnumber and overpower the Nigerian army when they launch an attack.

He adds: “Sometimes security personnel run away when they see the rebels.”

On one side of the compound, Mr Goni tends a patch of potatoes.

He told the BBC he had 10 hectares (24 acres) of land ready for harvest 8 kilometers (5 miles) away, but was afraid to collect his crops.

The owner of the neighboring farm was killed on his land just weeks ago.

“There is no safety,” he says. “We are just taking risks by going there, because when you go to the farm, these Boko Haram people are there.” “If you’re not lucky, they’ll kill you.”

Johnny believes the army can do more to end the conflict.

“We are very angry. We are not satisfied with what is happening. If the government is serious, within a month, Boko Haram will be finished in Nigeria.”

Meanwhile, Mr Boulos, of the NSCDC, says the army is dealing with the wider conflict.

“Peace is gradual. You can’t achieve it in one day. It has to go through many processes.”

But the process took a long time for these farmers. More than 15 years later, insecurity continues to plague every aspect of people’s lives.

The BBC asked the Nigerian army about claims by the farming community that it had not done enough to protect them, but it has not yet responded.