Gov. Shettima visits dam allegedly bombed by Boko Haram, states facts

Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State has dispelled speculations on Saturday that a lake in Alau town, a distance of about 5km from Maiduguri, the state capital, had been bombed by Boko Haram insurgents.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that following over-flow of water from the dam, locals of the town had circulated misleading information to the effect that insurgents had destroyed the dam.
Shettima, who dispelled the rumour on Sunday after a tour of the facility with Brigadier General Bulama Biu, Acting GOC 7 Division Maiduguri, said the damage was caused by lack of maintenance.
Shettima said it was one of the embarkments that was slightly washed away by water.
He said: “Our findings reveal that one of the embankments got washed away, embankments that require regular maintenance.
“The GOC (7 Div) was there early this morning; he assessed it and has pictures of what happened to that particular embankment.”
The governor said he and some management staff of Chad Basin Development Authority were also at the scene and assured that measures would be taken to remedy the situation.
Shettima said some days ago, some of the dikes were opened to decongest the dam, adding that the measure might have been responsible for the washing away of the portion of the embankment.
“I wish to assure Borno Citizen that all is well; there was no any terrorist attack on the dam,” he said.
Also clarifying the issue, Bashir Garga, National Emergency Management Agency North East Zonal Coordinator, said one of the dikes close to a deserted community, got destroyed.
Garga said an emergency response team comprising NEMA and SEMA officials undertook an on-the-spot assessment to ascertain the situation.
“Though the team could not gain access to where the incident occurred, but based on the information gathered on the field, it was one of the dikes close to one of the deserted communities, Bale Kayamla, that was washed away,” he said.
Also speaking on the incident, Babagana Yuroma, Executive Director Engineering, Chad Basin Development Authority, said three of the five dikes had washed away.
Yoruma said the activities of insurgents around Alau village had made it impossible for maintenance to be carried out on the dikes, hence the sudden lapses.