Boko Haram has taken control of Mubi – Senators

Senators on Tuesday confirmed that members of the dreaded sect, Boko Haram, have taken over Mubi, a town in Adamawa State.

The senators appealed to the Federal Government to hurriedly intervene so that the insurgency will not consume the whole state.

It could be recalled that the National Emergency Management Agency and the Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency stated that not less than have 10,496 internally displaced persons in five camps situated in Yola South and Fufore are located in the state, with more people still pouring into the state capital, Yola.

Senators, who spoke separately with newsmen, described the situation in Mubi as unfortunate.

They said the people in the place have been dispersed into mountains.

According to Senator Jubirila Bindow, the whole of his constituency has been taking over by Boko Haram.

Bindow said: “There is nothing on ground in Mubi.

“I don’t have any business in the Senate if the government has not done anything for my people.”

Senator Ali Ndume said what is going on Mubi is very sad, adding that nothing concrete has not been done to address the situation in the area.

Ndume said: “It is very sad what is happening.

“I just came back from Yola yesterday where I visited the displaced people.

“Initially, when Gwoza was invaded, since 6th August, most of my people from the entire local government are displaced and scattered all over and you know with the invasion of Mubi over the weekend, both Mubi people and my people that were seeking refuge there had to run to Yola again.

“So I went over the weekend to see what I can do and we have to move most of them from Yola back to Maiduguri through Gombe, more than eight hours journey.

“As at yesterday, we had moved about 2,000 and we will continue to move them to Maiduguri.

“The condition we find the internally displaced persons is very pathetic.

“The pressure on Yola is so much.

“The resources at the state’s disposal is so little and for us in Borno State too, it is the same thing.

“NEMA is the only federal presence there and they are also overwhelmed by the number of  people n the camp.

“Just in one of the camps, the NYSC camp, there are over 10,000 people and even in this Abuja, we have over 5,000 persons scattered all over.

“In one of the camps yesterday that I visited, three women delivered in the court.

“We are just calling on the Federal Government to please do something urgently  because so many people are dying of hunger-related diseases and sanitation-related challenges.

“And I cannot see the visible presence of institutions that are constitutionally charged with this, especially the National Refugees Commission and the National Rehabilitation Commission.

“They are not there.

“The only Federal Government presence there is NEMA and NEMA is supposed to be an emergency management agency.

“It is supposed to intervene for a very short time.

“The Federal Government needs to do something and it is not only that, I think it is high time the Federal Government adopts the motion that we moved in the Senate that they should urgently seek international assistance, especially the United Nations Commission for Refugees, who are specialised in dealing with the issues of displaced persons.”