The Shehu of Borno, Alhaji (Dr) Abubakar Umar-Ibn Garbai Al-Amin El-Kanemi, has told the military and other security agencies fighting insurgency in the North East to take the war to the doorsteps of the terrorists and clear them off the areas they currently operate from.
El-Kanemi said that it was the only way to restore civil authority in communities controlled by the terrorists in Guzamala Local Government Headquarters, and other communities in Kukawa, Abadam Local Government where there had been no civilian presence for many years, was to dislodge them.
The Shehu Of Borno noted that millions of displaced people should be able to go back to their ancestral homes to live a normal life and farm or fish to feed themselves.
Towards this, he therefore urged the military and other security agencies to seriously take the war to the doorsteps of those hibernating terrorists who are still having total control of the areas.
The traditional ruler, who spoke when he paid a Sallah homage to the Acting Governor, Dr. Umar Kadafur, at the Government House in Maiduguri on Sunday, said: “I commend the federal government, the security agencies, and more importantly, Governor Babagana Zulum for their untiring efforts in the fight against Boko Haram terrorists.
“However, I must call on the federal government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the military authorities to clear the remnants of Boko Haram terrorists still occupying Guzamala LG headquarters and other communities in Kukawa and Abadam area councils so that millions of displaced people can return to their ancestral homes.”
Last week, similar call were made by the Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Abdulkarim Lawan, while delivering a goodwill message at the celebration of the June 12, 2024 Democracy Day.
The Shehu while appreciating the sacrifices rendered by Nigerian troops towards restoration of peace in the North-east, and the country as a whole, said, there is more than meets the eye because the inability of the military to restore civil authority in the aforementioned communities has denied parents and children have access to their farmlands, or acquire quality education.
These situations, he said, is dangerous to mankind and sustainable development.
Responding, Dr Kadafur thanked the monarch for the visit, and told him that a committee chaired by the Commissioner for Local Government and Emirate Affairs, Hon Sugum Mai Mele, along with the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), was working tirelessly to restore normalcy and relocate displaced people of Guzamala back to their ancestral homes.