Following the murder of scores of farmers in Zabarmari village in Borno State on Saturday by operatives of the Boko Haram terrorist group, President Muhammadu Buhari’s spokesman, Garba Shehu has claimed that the victims did not obtain military clearance before venturing into the farms.
Speaking as a guest on BBC ‘Newsday,’ Shehu said the government was sad about the tragic incident, but added that the “people need to understand what it is like in the Lake Chad Basin area.”
Although the presidential aide told the host of the programme that the government has reclaimed the territories previously under the Boko Haram command, he however claimed that the Boko Haram threat remained real in those communities.
“The truth has to be said. Was there any military clearance from the military who are in total control of the area? Did anybody ask to resume activity?”
Shehu emphasised that he had been briefed by military authorities that the villagers did not seek military advice before exposing themselves to “a window that the terrorists have exploited.”
“So ideally, all of these places ought to probably be allowed to pass through proper military clearance before resettlement or even farmers resuming activities on those fields,” he said.
Garba’s comment will sure cause a lot of storm especially on social media where many Nigerians believe that the Buhari administration has largely failed in its duty of protecting the life and
