Our reporter/ Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno state on Sunday begged the federal government not to let the town of Marte fall into the hands of Boko Haram insurgents.
The governor’s plea came after 20,000 people fled Marte town following increasing attacks by Islamist militants four years after residents returned to the town that was once controlled by insurgents.
Borno state has witnessed an upsurge in attacks by suspected Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) assailants this year, raising concerns that the militants are making gains again after years of intense attacks by the military.
Borno state governor Babagana Zulum visited Marte, which is close to the border with Cameroon, to assess the security situation and meet military officials there.
His visit followed a raid on Marte’s army base last week in which militants temporarily overran the installation. At least five soldiers were killed and others went missing in the attack.
“Marte was resettled about four years ago, but unfortunately, over the last three days, it was ransacked and was displaced again,” Zulum told reporters on Sunday.
“About 20,000 people left Marte for Dikwa; this huge number is a threat as allowing them to stay in the camp may make most of the younger ones become vulnerable to recruitment by the insurgents,” the governor said.
“Alhamdulillah, we returned to Marte yesterday and spent the night with the support of the Nigerian Army and our volunteers. The community is now resettled for the second time. Still, my prayers to the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Nigerian Army are that we do everything possible to keep this town on the ground.
“Hitherto, Marte Local Government comprises over 300 towns and villages, now we have only one standing, if we cannot maintain this one, then we will lose the whole Local Government to the insurgents, which will be very obnoxious, and I think we will not allow this to happen.
Therefore, I am calling on the Federal Government and the Nigerian Army so that we can put our heads together and hold our ground for this single town in this LGA to remain.”
Zulum, who also visited Rann, another town where an army base was attacked last week, will on Monday head to Kalawa Balge district where 23 farmers were killed by suspected militants.
At least two million people have been displaced and thousands killed by the insurgency in Nigeria in the last 16 years, according to humanitarian groups.
Zulum’s state government resettled residents in Marte as part of a programme to shut camps for Internally Displaced Persons in Borno capital Maiduguri and upheld the plan as a model for other towns previously controlled by insurgents.
But many Marte residents now fear that their lives could be upended again if attacks continue.
Boko Haram and Islamic State-backed ISWAP have been adapting their tactics, including using drones for surveillance, security analysts and the military say.
Zulum said leaving residents to live in a camp in Dikwa town was a big threat as it would leave young men “vulnerable to recruitment by insurgents.”
With Reuters report
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