By; SADIQ ABUBAKAR, Maiduguri
Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum has disbursed one hundred million Naira cash and 20,000 prices of wrappers to 20,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) women in Gamboru Ngala town to cushion their suffering.
He also blamed the recent improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and landmines explosions on highways in the state to the handiwork of saboteurs and beneficiaries of Boko Haram insurgency, who don’t want an end to the crisis.
The governor who stated this yesterday, shortly after the distribution of N100 million cash and 20,000 prices of wrappers to 20,000 women, comprising victims of Boko Haram insurgency who fled some local government areas of Northern Borno to Niger Republic but returned to the state in the aftermath of the Niger Republic coup d tat, as well as thousands of resettled internally displaced persons (IDPs) from communities in Mobbar Local Government Area of Borno State.
He added that he was in Damasak to examine the refugees that returned from Niger Republic after the coup de tat following reports that many of the returnees don’t have shelter.
” So we are here to provide palliatives to them and in addition, we decided to extend the gesture to the entire vulnerable women in Damasak. The military coup has affected the border communities especially, Abadam , Kukawa and Guzamala local government areas. These local government areas are seriously affected by the Niger crisis.
” By now, we would have resettled the IDPs from those local government areas to their ancestral homes, but for the ongoing crisis, we have not been able to do so . However, I am optimistic that the crisis will be resolved.
” I am sure that the federal government will create alternative means, so that the Nigerian military will take over border areas linking Niger so that our people can be resettled,” Zulum said.
Speaking on the recent landmines and IEDs attacks in some highways in the state, Governor Zulum blamed the handiwork of saboteurs and beneficiaries of the insurgency who are making fortunes from the crisis on the explosions, adding that the IEDs attacks is a matter of time that will soon be resolved.
” We have a lot of saboteurs in the Boko Haram insurgency, especially on the issue of landmines and IEDs attacks along the highways. We are working with the Nigerian military, the department of security services ( DSS ) to determine the root cause of the recent happenings. But I want to assure the people that very soon we will get rid of the issues of IEDs on the highways.
” It is a major threat to all of us . It has not been happening in the last two years. It is a recent development, and I believe there is sabotage in the system. Many within and outside the state don’t want the end of the fight against Boko Haram insurgency. Many are feeding from the insurgency and many are getting wealth from the crisis.
” Look at the recent IEDs attacks , the vandalisation of electricity power lines. All these are geared towards deteriorating the security situation in the state. But we are equal to the task, we will not allow such issue to continue, ” Governor Zulum added.
Zulum said with the relative peace in Damasak the retarded agriculture in the state will be revitalised, adding that he will identify two petrol stations and subsidise the prices of fuel in Damasak to enable the farmers supply power to their generators for irrigation farming.
One of the female IDPs, Yana Modu expressed gratitude to the governor for providing basic amenities and palliatives to resettled residents of Damasak and prayed for absolute return of peace to the area and the entire state.
It would be recalled that Damasak, headquarters of Mobbar LGA at the border of Niger republic is an agrarian town known for large scale farming of onions, rice , fish and cattle rearing, is one of the local government areas worse hit by the Boko Haram insurgency, but with the relative peace returning there in the past two years, residents are returning and continuing their farming activities.
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