Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum says state-wide records show that security has improved under the Buhari administration.
A statement on Monday by the state government quoted the governor as saying on Sunday when he received northern elders from the Arewa Consultative Forum led by the chairman of the forum’s board of trustees, Shehu Malami, and the forum’s executive chairman Audu Ogbeh.
Zulum’s statement comes despite the recent killing of at least 43 rice farmers in the state by Boko Haram insurgents.
“From statewide statistics on affairs in the 27 local government areas since 2011, the fact is that despite the recent happenings in Borno State, the security situation in Borno State and indeed that of the entire North-East sub-region is still far better under Buhari, and this is based on records,” Zulum said, according to the statement.
“For instance, unlike the years before Buhari when a number of local government were no-go-areas, we now have citizens led by our traditional rulers, safely back to Bama, Gwoza, Askira-Uba, Dikwa, Ngala, Monguno, Kukawa, Damboa, Konduga, Mafa, all of which no one could visit not talk of living there. Our emirs were all in exile. Today, Bama is coming back to life and so are Askira-Uba, Damboa, Gwoza, and others. Life is even returning go Baga. This was impossible before Buhari.
“In fact, it was not possible to move a few kilometers out of Maiduguri. Insurgents were so bold to attack and take over military facilities like the army barrack at Monguno, Bama, Giwa Barrack and Multinational Joint Task Force Headquarters at Baga to mention just a few.
“There were daily attacks bomb blasts in many parts of Maiduguri, the most populated part of the state but all of these have stopped under Buhari. These are the records and no one can dispute these records.”