…Several village heads killed
Chuks Oyema-Aziken
The Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Garbai Elkanemi has the Boko Haram crisis to a disagreement between two Islamic groups, the Izala and Yusufiya Islamic sects.
The traditional ruler said the fall-out of the disagreement later spread to attacks on police stations and carting away of ammunitions.
The Shehu disclosed this in Maiduguri when a delegation of the Senate Committee on Special Duties, led by Sen. Yusuf Abubakar Yusuf, representing Taraba Central, visited him.
The committee were in Borno State to assess the performance of the North East Development Commission (NEDC).
“Gradually, they moved their operations from Maiduguri to Local Government headquarters and other towns within Borno. In the course of their operations, the emirate council lost about 13 district heads in addition to many ward heads who were killed in their respective domains,” he said.
The Shehu disclosed to his guests that 13 district heads and several ward heads (Bulamas) were killed in his emirate at the peak of the ongoing Boko Haram crisis by the terrorist group.
He however said: “The activities of the criminal elements had not deterred our district and village heads of being proactive in reporting their activities to the security agencies.
He said the crisis have cause a massive displacement of people who have become refuges in camps across the state.
On the visit of the senators, he speaker for more funding for the North East Development Commission ( NEDC ), to enable them tackle the humanitarian crisis.
He said: “I want to call for more funding for the commission to enable it facilitate the reconstruction of destroyed communities and intervention programmes toward empowering all IDPs. The call became necessary in view of the huge destruction and losses incurred in the state as a result of the crises in the last 11 years.”
He lauded President Muhammadu Buhari and members of the National Assembly for establishing the NEDC which is aimed at addressing the massive humanitarian crises in the Northeast.
In his speech, Sen. Yusuf commended the state government for efforts in reaching out to needs of the people as well as other peace building efforts aimed at bringing lasting peace in the state.
He said they came for an on-the-spot assessment of activities of the NEDC within the last one year.
He said: “The oversight is to look at what the commission did in the last one year and to know whether what they have done so far is in tendon with what was approved for the Commission.”
