PREMIUM TIMES
The Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima has said that
Nigeria is in a state of war as the military tries to defeat the Boko Haram.
Mr. Shettima also said the fight against Boko Haram is far
from being won, as the insurgents seem to be more motivated than the Nigerian
military. He said though the troops were doing their best, the insurgents were
better armed.
Fielding questions from journalists after a meeting with
President Goodluck Jonathan at the State House in Abuja, Mr. Shettima said
Nigeria was facing a threat of war. He said the faster Nigerian leaders braced
up to the challenge, the better it would be.
“Well, in a nutshell what we are being confronted with is
that we are in a state of war. It is what I came to update Mr. President, the
sooner we stop playing the ostrich and rise up to the challenges of the day,
and marshal all resources towards visualizing the antics of Boko Haram, the
better for all of us,” the governor said.
“But the bottom line is that we need more resources, more
vote on ground. In all fairness to the officers and men of the Nigerian Army
and Police, they are doing their best given the circumstances they have found
themselves in. But honestly Boko Haram are better armed and are better
motivated than our own troops.
“And believe me, I am (an) eternal optimist as I have always
said. But I am also a realist. Given the present state of affairs, it is
absolutely impossible for us to defeat Boko Haram,” he said.
Asked if the president was made to understand that the Boko
Haram were better armed, the governor said, “I made it emphatically clear to
Mr. President that the Boko Haram are better armed and better motivated,
anybody who is following events in this country can attest to the fact that
they have a very smooth sail overrunning communities, killing people.
“Have we ever succeeded in thwarting any of their plans?
They went to Konduga and did what they wanted to do; they held sway for several
hours before they left. They were in Kauri, Izge.
“And I don’t blame the Nigerian military honestly, we the
leaders should be held responsible for our failure in leadership”.
No fewer than 100 people were killed, weekend, in separate
attacks in Baga and Izge villages of Kukawa and Gwoza Local Government Areas of
Borno State by suspected members of Boko Haram sect.
On the figure of lives lost in attacks by insurgents, the
governor said, “In Idzge alone we lost 106 people and they raided eight other
communities so until I get back home, today or tomorrow I cannot give you the
exact figure. But some were hospitalized with very great injuries so I am afraid
the figures might climb”.
On an alleged recent threat by members of the insurgent
group to launch an onslaught if Cameroon assists the Nigerian government to
fight it, Mr. Shettima said, “I am not privy to such an information.”
“But the President has assured us that he will put in his
best to see that the unfortunate tendency of the Boko Haram overrunning
communities and butchering innocent souls is brought under control,” he said.
When asked about the implication the Boko Haram attacks will
have on the 2015 elections, the governor said he did not care about the
elections. He said his major concern is that peace should return to the state
and the northern region as a whole.
“It’s too early for anybody to talk about election when
human lives are involved, power comes from God and He gives power to whom He
will. I don’t care a hoot whether elections are here but I do care that peace
is restored in Borno and the North East sub-region, so people should stop
playing politics” he said.
Borno, like Adamawa and Yobe, has been under emergency rule
for almost a year as the military tries to defeat the insurgents.
Hundreds of people have been killed by the insurgents since
the start of the year with hundreds of houses burnt in several communities.
Over 6,000 Nigerians have also been displaced to neighbouring Chad, Niger, and
Cameroon in 2014 alone, according to the United Nations.
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