Days after the attack on Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum by men suspected to be members of the Boko Haram terrorist group, the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar el-Kanemi, has declared the state unsafe.
The terrorists’ attack on the state’s chief security officer and his security details last Thursday on their way to Baga town to assess the security situation in the Lake Chad Basin has attracted wide condemnation from Nigerians who have continued to insist that it is about time the leadership of the security agencies are changed.
Governor Zulum’s convoy had been previously attacked around February 2020 while he was returning from Konduga, 40 kilometres east of Maiduguri, to distribute food to returning displaced persons and inspect a 500-unit housing project for the returnees.
“Borno State is no longer safe,” the monarch said at the weekend during his traditional Sallah greetings to the governor at his Maiduguri official residence.
“Your Excellency, we are not happy about what happened in Baga the other time. It is very unfortunate and a great pity to expose people’s lives to Boko Haram terrorists,” he declared. “If the convoy of the chief security officer of the state would be attacked, then I swear that nobody is safe, because he is the number one citizen of the state.”
He feared that the security situation in the state got worse since the emergence of Boko Haram in 2009.
The monarch however urged everyone to look up to God and seek his protection from attacks by the terrorists.
The governor in response thanked the traditional ruler for the visit and assured him of government’s readiness to address the issues he raised.
Last week, Zulum warned that he would be left with no option than to engage the services of local hunters to confront the terrorist group if the security agencies cannot live up to the expectations of the citizens.
