Residents of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital have thrown their weight behind their representatives, Hon. Mohammed Monguno and Hon. Ahmed Jaha over a motion they put before the House which was unanimously adopted, seeking the sacking of the service chiefs as a result of the continued state of insecurity in northeast Nigeria.
Residents told DAILY POST that they are standing by the representatives because their position was expected of them as representatives of the people.
According to them, the people of the northeast Nigeria have been crying over killings of innocent souls for too long but the service chiefs, particularly Sadiq Abubakar, the Chief of Air Staff and T.Y. Buratai, the Army Chief who are both from the northeast could not come together to salvage their people from the horror of attacks by Boko Haram.
Salisu Abdullahi, a pharmacist at the Open Air theatre in Maiduguri told DAILY POST that he travels every week to Kano to buy drugs but since the attacks on the Maiduguri – Damaturu road started, he has not able to travel.
”’ I have made arrangements with some people to send the drugs but we always have problem as they sometimes mix these drugs with fake drugs. Sometimes the drivers who bring the drugs would begin to tell you stories of how police or soldiers would stop them and took some expensive drugs and what have you. In fact, it is discouraging and with the killings on the road, we have to put everything on hold and we do not know when things will be better,” he said.
Another resident of Maiduguri from Gwoza local government, Shuibu Barawa told DAILY POST that, the story they keep hearing from security operatives that, the security situation is now calm was a lie. According to him, he could not go to his village in ‘Bayan Dutse’ in Gwoza since 2014 when he narrowly escaped being slaughtered by Boko Haram who are the Lords in that part of the local government.
” Whenever the governor is going round Gwoza axis or the Army Chief is coming, they would put a lot of security to clear the area and afterwards everything returns when these important personalities leave. Nothing is happening. The only area that is free in Gwoza is the Gwoza town where the INGO is working with soldiers and few IDPs they returned to Gwoza. Some of these IDPs cannot even go to their villages,” Shuibi said.
It could be recalled that, moving the motion on Wednesday, Hon. Monguno said that the territorial integrity of Nigeria was being threatened following the resurgence of insurgency in the North East.
Mongonu who represents Monguno/Marte/Nganzai Federal Constituency of Borno State said that the attacks by the Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East zone had lingered for so long.
He recalled that when President Muhammadu Buhari came into power in 2015, the activities of insurgents were reduced to the barest minimum.
Monguno said that the feat achieved by the Nigerian Armed Forces had led to increased economic activities within the North-East zone.
He, however, said, “Recently, the Boko Haram insurgents who were relegated to the background are now unleashing terror in Borno and Yobe states.
“The insurgents have forced the Nigerian Military to close traffic on the Damaturu-Maiduguri road for some days; the Damaturu-Maiduguri road is the only access road from Maiduguri to other parts of Nigeria.
“The closure of the road is an indication that the Boko Haram insurgents have seized the road and attacked communities on that axis.”
According to him, incessant attacks on communities along the Damaturu-Maiduguri road, have forced the residents to flee to refugee camps in Maiduguri for safety.
Also, Hon. Ahmadu Jaha, called for the sack of the service chiefs, saying that they have failed to decimate Boko Haram in the North-East.
Jaha who represents Chibok/Damboa/Gwoza Federal Constituency of Borno State said that contrary to the claims by the military, his constituents were still being attacked and displaced. “I know what I am saying; I know that tomorrow, people can come for me; I am calling for the immediate removal of all the service chiefs and their immediate replacement with competent ones.
“The truth of the matter is that they have overstayed and the officers under them are not motivated to work, perform and to end this war,” he said.
