Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, Abdulkarim Lawan, has decried terrorists control of two local government areas in Borno State.
The lawmaker, who represents Guzamala, made this call on Sunday, while briefing newsmen on the State’s 2023 budget presentation by Governor Babagana Zulum.
TheFact Daily reports that the lawmaker’s disclosure was contrary to previous claims that no LGA in Borno State is under the control of Boko Haram insurgents.
Lawan identified the LGAs as Guzamala and Kukawa in Borno North Senatorial District, and consequently appealed to Federal Government and the military to dislodge the terrorists.
“There is no peace in Guzamala Local Government Area because there is still no civilian or military presence there.
“I have consistently pleaded with the federal government to deploy security there so that the civil population can return. This situation is not restricted to my local government alone. The situation applies to Kukawa Local Government Area as well”, the lawmaker said.
Lawan disclosed that the State government had relocated the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Kukawa back to their community, but that the place remains a no-go area for public officers like him or even the local government chairman and his councillors.
“In the case of Guzamala, there hasn’t been a single military presence in the entire local government.
“This means the local government is still under the control of Boko Haram. The local government headquarters is deserted, and no sane human being lives there because the entire place is being controlled by Boko Haram.
“What we are saying is that two local government headquarters – Gudumbali and Kukawa towns are no-go areas for civic activities because Boko Haram is in control. And this should worry the federal government.
He noted further, that the setback has affected the people as they “have been left out for many years in the massive development projects that the state government has been deploying to other local government areas”, adding that the two LGAs have received “nearly zero developmental projects under the leadership of Professor Babagana Zulum in the last three and half years’’.
