The Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Ibn-Garbai Elkanemi has disclosed that the Emirate lost about 13 district heads in addition to many ward heads (Bulamas) to the Boko Haram crisis ravaging the state.
The monarch made the disclosure at the weekend when a delegation of the Senate committee on Special Duties, led by Sen. Yusuf Abubakar Yusuf, representing Taraba Central, visited him in Maiduguri.
The Shehu explained that the crisis had displaced thousands of people who were taking refuge in displaced persons’ camps across the state, noting that the Boko Haram crisis started in the state in July 2009 following a disagreement between the Izala and Yusifiya sects.
Elkanemi added that the crisis later developed into attacks of police stations and carting away of ammunitions in police formations.
“Gradually, they moved their operations from Maiduguri to local government headquarters and other towns within Borno. In the course of their operations, the emirate council lost about 13 district heads, in addition to many ward heads who were killed in their respective
domains”.
“The activities of the criminal elements had not deterred our district and village heads of being proactive in reporting their activities to the security agencies,” he said.
He called on the federal government to channel more funds to the North East Development Commission (NEDC), considering the huge humanitarian crisis created by the Boko Haram terrorists, who destroyed private and public structures across the state.
“I want to call for more funding for the commission to enable it facilitate the reconstruction of destroyed communities and intervention programmes toward empowering all IDPs. The call became necessary in view of the huge destruction and losses incurred in the state as a result of the crises in the last 11 years,” he said.
