Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum has criticised Minister of Information Mohammed Idris, calling him “naive” about the country’s security realities in the aftermath of a deadly Boko Haram attack on the Damboa-Maiduguri Road on Saturday.
The explosion occurred on the primary road connecting the state capital, Maiduguri, to Damboa, killing at least eight persons, seriously injuring seven others, and leaving 14 more with lesser injuries.
It is the latest in a series of strikes by Boko Haram terrorists, highlighting the region’s chronic security concerns.
Zulum, reacting after the incident, attacked the minister’s recent remarks about the state’s security.
“I believe the Minister of Information is naive about what is happening in the country. He doesn’t know what is ongoing in the country,” Zulum said.
He called for greater resilience from both the affected communities and the Nigerian Army, calling for sustained efforts to secure the volatile road.
“I want to advise the communities to be resilient enough. I want to advise the Nigerian Army to be resilient enough because there’s no way people will travel a distance of 700 kilometres to go to Damboa.
“Ordinarily, they come here to Damboa, it’s only about 100 kilometers,” he stated.
Despite the attack, Zulum restated the state government’s commitment to safeguarding the Maiduguri-Damboa route.
“We shall ensure that travel from Maiduguri to Damboa will continue. This will not deter us from following the road, artillery, and all other security agencies to give up security along the road so that such incidents will not happen again,” he added.
The governor revealed that he had met with top military officials in Abuja, including the Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Naval Staff, and Chief of Air Staff, who assured him of ongoing efforts to combat the insurgency.
“We are so happy with the response that we had from the service chiefs,” he said.
Zulum expressed hope that Borno would not return to the height of insecurity seen in previous years.
“I want to assure the people of Borno State that, Insha Allah, under my watch, Boko Haram will not have the capacity to do what they did before,” he stated.
He also underlined the importance of continuing to collaborate with the federal government and the military in addressing the state’s security challenges.
“I will keep up to the expectations of the people of Borno State by completely addressing the problem of insecurity,” he said.
