Borno Speaker Calls Out Military, Government Over Guzamala’s Decade-Long Neglect
The Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, Abdulkarim Lawan, has said that the military and other security agencies have neglected the Guzamala local council for terrorists’ activities.
According to him, the neglect of providing security in the border community with the Niger Republic, however, lingered for over a decade.
Lawan raised the insecurity alarm yesterday (Wednesday) in his remarks to mark Democracy Day at Ramat Square, Maiduguri. fr
His words: “Up until today, the Guzamala local government has had no single person living in the council area.
“We appeal to the Federal Government and military to deploy more security personnel to the abandoned local government area,” lamented the people of Guzamala, who had been living in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in Maiduguri, Monguno, and Differ provinces in Niger.
Besides living in IDP camps, he added that the people had been voting for the leaders in camps and would continue to live in the camps of Gajiram and Monguno.
The Speaker, therefore, appealed to the federal government and military to take
the necessary action to protect people’s lives in the neglected council area.
“Even our traditional and religious leaders are taking refuge in Niger, Monguno, and Maiduguri, the state capital,” adding that there was no security deployment to Kukawa to protect the civilians.
He called on Governor Babagana Zulum, the federal government, and the military to provide security architecture in the border community of the state.
“Despite the intentions of Zulum and the state’s resettlement committee to return the Guzamala IDPs to their ancestral homes, the military refused to give the order to return them,” he lamented.
Responding to the insecurity in Guzamala, the Acting Governor, Umar Kadafur, announced that a high-powered committee led by the Commissioner of Local Government and Emirate Affairs, Sugum Mele, will return the IDPs to their ancestral homes.
In marking Democracy Day in the state, he said Governor Zulum has granted prerogatives of mercy to 10 prison inmates.
