'We dey fear for our souls' - Nigerian farmers need armed guards to protect dem from militants

As women dey water vegetables and uproot weeds for rural corner of north-eastern Nigeria, men for uniform stand guard nearby wit big rifles.

Dem be Agro Rangers - one special security unit set up by di govment to defend farmers from militants from jihadist groups Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (Iswap), dem fit strike farms in Borno state at any time.

"Fear dey - we dey fear for our souls," Aisha Isa, 50, tell BBC as she dey care for her crops.

Becos e no longer dey safe for her family to live in di home wia dem bin dey live, dem run comot 11 years ago, she and many odas like her dey enta bus to Dalwa village from pick-up point for di state capital, Maiduguri, early mor-mor. E dey less dan one hour drive away.

She dey live for temporary housing, and dey grow beans and maize, e remain di only way for her to feed her family, she tok.

"We go take di risk and come even if di rangers no dey come."

Here, di military don mark out di stretch of land, wia dem surround wia pipo fit plant dia crops. If dem venture beyond dat border, di threat of Boko Haram plenty.

"We don dey hear say dem kidnap pipo," 42-year-old Mustapha Musa tok. "Dem kill. Dat na why I dey scared and I no wan come without security protection."

Di father of 10 tok say im leave im village, Konduga, 13 years ago and e no go go back go resettle dia until di govment bring lasting security.

In di 15 years since di Islamist insurgency start for north-eastern Nigeria, thousands of pipo don die and dem don force millions comot dia homes.

Di number of pipo wey die inside targeted attacks on farmers dis year don double since 2024, according to research by di Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (Acled) monitoring group.

Yet di govnor of Borno state dey speed up di reintegration of displaced pipo from camps back onto di land - as part of im stabilisation agenda, and to counter disruptions in food production.

Almost four million pipo dey face food insecurity across conflict zones for Nigeria north-east, UN warn. But some aid agencies tok say move dey to relocate farmers to boost agriculture dey move too fast.

International Crisis Group, one non-profit organisation wey focus on resolving deadly conflict tok say, di policy dey put internally displaced pipo for danger -highlighting say militant groups dey extort farmers for areas wey dey dia controls to raise fund for dia violent extremism.

Dem kidnap Abba Mustapha Muhammed and nine oda farmers, e still dey fear long afta di ordeal, e don see first-hand wetin go hapun wen victims no pay up.

"E get one wey dem kill becos e no fit pay di ransom. Im family no fit meet di time wey dem give," Mr Muhammed tok. "Dem kill and throw am away. Dem ask di family to come take di dead body."

Holding you for captive inside forest for three days dey "unbearable", e tok. "Di small meals wey dem prepare dey leave us feeling hungry and give us diarrhoea. Clean drinking water no dey."

Di father-of-three tell BBC say e dey too afraid to return to subsistence farming becos "di insurgents still dey hide. Just yesterday, dem kidnap ova 10 pipo".

Despite stories like dis, Mohammed Hassan Agalama, di commander wey dey di Agro Rangers scheme for Borno, insist say di guards dey stop militants from staging violent assaults.

"We neva encounter more terrorists coming to attack di farmers becos dem know say we dey fully on ground at di time of farming season," Cdt Agalama, wey dey operate under di Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) tok.

James Bulus, tok-tok pesin for di NSCDC, argue say di govment dey try fight against di insurgents, e tell BBC: "Di harvest alone dey dia to tell you say dem don return normalcy, and farmers dey do dia normal businesses for farm."

However, e admit say resources dey inadequate.

Agro Rangers na small-scale project and no be long-term solution for widespread regional insecurity.

"We no fit dey everywhere. We no be spirits. 600 armed Agro Rangers fit cover di whole farms for Maiduguri? No."

For dis reason, Nigeria federal govment tok say e plan to expand di Agro Rangers scheme.

Acled senior Africa analyst Ladd Serwat tok say dis year, plenty civilians don die due to targeted attacks on farmers by armed groups.

Furthermore, during di first half of 2025, Boko Haram and Iswap reported killings reach dia highest level in five years.

For Maiduguri city centre, one group of farmers gada for di home of Adam Goni, di chair of di Borno branch of di National Association of Sorghum Producers, Processors and Marketers.

Di men sit ontop rugs under one tree, while two women sidon ontop mats for di shade for one nearby veranda, as goats and chickens dey roam di compound.

Among dem na Baba Modu, im 30-year-old nephew die for im farm, na Boko Haram kill am wit gun.

"E pain me so much," e tok. "Dem kill humans like ant, without remorse. Di killings we don experience dey devastating, but dis year na di worst. Wen I go out to farm, I dey get constant threat of being killed. I no get peace of mind even at home - I dey sleep wit my eyes open, feeling like say dem fit attack."

Mr Modu sink into im chair at times, as e dey reason. E tok say di constant insecurity weigh heavily on am and di community.

"Even if you dey starve and food dey scarce, you no fit go farm. Wen we try, dem dey chase us away or even kill us. At first, dem go demand ransom wen dem kidnap someone, but now, dem dey collect di money and still kill di pesin dem don kidnap."

Many farmers, like Mr Modu, tok say di militants fit outnumber and overpower di Nigerian army wen dem attack.

"Sometimes even di security operatives dey run away wen dem see di insurgents," e add.

On one side of di compound, Mr Goni dey plant potato.

E tell BBC say e get 10 hectares (24 acres) of land ready for am to harvest 8km (5 miles) away, but e dey fear to gada im crops.

Dem kill di owner of di neighbouring farm for im land only weeks ago.

"No safety. We just dey take risks to go dia, becos wen you go farm, dis Boko Haram pipo dey dia," e tok. "If you no dey lucky, dem go kill you."

Mr Goni believe say di military fit do more to end di conflict.

"We dey very angry. We dey unhappy wit wetin dey hapun. If di govment dey serious, within one month, Boko Haram go end for Nigeria."

Meanwhile, NSCDC Oga Bulus tok say di military dey address di wider conflict.

"Peace dey gradual. You no fit do am in one day. E go undergo so many processes."

But di process don take too long for dis farmers. More dan 15 years on, insecurity kontinu to worry every aspect of pipo lives.

BBC ask di Nigerian military about di farming community onto claim say dem neva do enough to protect dem, but dem neva respond yet.