Boko Haram still occupying 50% Borno State – Senator

The representative of Borno Central Senatorial District, Senator Baba Kaka Garbai, has said dreaded sect, Boko Haram, is still in control of a sizeable part of Borno State.
Garbai said the state is almost equally shared in terms of control between Boko Haram and the government, represented by the military.
The senator spoke during a condolence visit to Dalori village, where 65 persons were killed last week by Boko Haram members.
Dalori is about 5km from Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
Garbai said Boko Haram and the military have full control of three local government areas each and share presence in the 21 other local government areas in the state.
He said: “It is a wrong assumption that most of the local governments in Borno are recaptured from the Boko Haram.
“In reality, this is not true in the sense that apart from Maiduguri Metropolis, Bayo and Kwaya Kusar, these are the three local government that are under the occupation of the Nigerian government where the military and police are maintaining law and order, Mobbar, Abadam and Kala Balge are 100 per cent occupied by the insurgents.
“There are some local governments that are partially occupied by the insurgents, especially as the local government secretariats have been liberated, but their hinterlands are still controlled by the insurgents.
“Although Gwoza town has been liberated, there still remains six wards in Gwoza Local Government Area still occupied by the insurgents.”
Garbai equally advised against relocating residents to areas that are said to have been liberated from the Boko Haram terrorists.
He said it would be dangerous to so do as the areas could still be overrun by the Boko Haram terrorists without adequate preparations and security put in place.
He said: “If the people are moved back to their homelands, you are making them vulnerable to attack.
“Unless you provide maximum security and return of law and order in these areas, relocating these people would be endangering their lives.”