The lingering Boko Haram insurgency has led to the killing of 13 District Heads and several Ward Heads (Bulamas), the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Garbai Elkanemi said on Monday.
The monarch revealed this in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, during a courtesy visit by a delegation of the Senate Committee on Special Duties, led by Senator Abubakar Yusuf, who were in the state to assess the performance of the North-East Development Commission (NEDC).
He also lamented that the decade-old crisis had displaced thousands of people, who were now taking refuge in displaced persons’ camps across the state.
Speaking on the genesis of the crisis, El-Kanemi claimed it started in the state in July 2009 following a disagreement between the Izala and Yusufiya Islamic sects, adding that the crisis later snowballed into attacks on police stations and stealing of ammunition from police formations.
He said: “Gradually, they moved their operations from Maiduguri to local government headquarters and other towns within Borno. In the course of their operations, the emirate council lost about 13 district heads in addition to many ward heads,who were killed in their respective domains.”
“The activities of the criminal elements have not deterred our district and village heads from being proactive in reporting their activities to the security agencies.”
Speaking further, the monarch called on the federal government to channel more funds to the NEDC, considering the huge humanitarian crisis created by Boko Haram terrorists, who destroyed private and public structures across the state.
“I want to call for more funding to the commission to enable it facilitate the reconstruction of destroyed communities and intervention programmes toward empowering all IDPs. The call became necessary in view of the huge destruction and losses incurred in the state as a result of the crises in the last 11 years,” he stated.
The monarch also commended President Muhammadu Buhari and members of the National Assembly for establishing NEDC to address the massive humanitarian crises in the North-east.
Speaking during the visit, Senator Abubakar Yusuf commended the state government for prioritising the welfare of displaced persons as well as other peace building efforts aimed at bringing lasting peace to the state.
He also assured that with the current efforts in the military’s counter insurgency operation, the crises would soon become a thing of the past.
