The lawmaker representing Borno South at the National Assembly, Senator Ali Ndume, has narrated how Boko Haram insurgents killed 75 elders in one night during a raid on his hometown in Gwoza local government area.
Ndume disclosed this on Wednesday, August 26, at a meeting organised by the senate committee on special duties and the North East Development Commission (NEDC) in Maiduguri.
Lamenting that the security operatives were trying their best but that insecurity in Borno remained overwhelming and underreported, Ndume averred that he can’t go back to his hometown even as a Senator because it is not safe.
“If the Senate Committee would take time during their stay to go round some of the camps and even the nearby Konduga local government, we would all better appreciate what the people are facing.
“Even as a serving senator, I still cannot go to Gwoza my hometown because it is not safe.
“Our security operatives are trying their bests, and we have to give it to them. But the situation is overwhelming. People are dying every day, either from attacks or by hunger. We have lost many lives here.
“There was a time in my home town Gwoza, that about 75 elders most of whom I know personally were dragged by Boko Haram to the town’s abattoir and slaughtered like animals. Only two persons survived because their bodies were covered with other people’s’ blood and the assailants thought they were dead.
“In the same Gwoza, Boko Haram had in a single day lined up young men and summarily shot them dead. These were just some stand out cases.”
Mr Ndume also lamented the issue of hunger in the state stressing that the situation would have been worse had there not been non-governmental organisations in Borno.
“We don’t know where we would have been or what would have happened to us in Borno State, had there not been the NGOs,” he said
“People die every day here, and I can assure you that even today or this evening, someone may have died of hunger. I am not talking about children – I mean adults.”
The Senator said it was because of the situation in the North East he came up with the idea of North-East Development Commission (NEDC).
“NEDC was my idea, and I pushed for its formation, not for anything else but to see how our people could be helped out of this ugly situation. And so far, we are impressed with the kind of work they are dong.
“But sadly, the amount of money at the disposal of the commission is not adequate to solve the humanitarian challenges facing Borno State alone.”
In his speech, the NEDC Managing Director, Mohammed Alkali-Goni, commended the Senate committee for the visit and said that the gesture would help the National Assembly to properly understand the challenges in the region.
KanyiDaily recalls that Senator Ali Ndume had also revealed that one of the repentant Boko Haram member, who was recently integrated into the community, killed his father, stole his wealth and disappeared.
