Boko Haram in full control of Guzamala – Borno Speaker, Lawan

Rt Hon Abdulkarim Lawan, the Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, on Monday, said terrorists are in full control of the Guzamala Local Government Area of the State.

Lawan faulted the claim made by Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Information, and Gen Gabriel Olonisakin, the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), that all the 27 Local Government Areas in the State have been liberated as troops are not in control as claimed. He stressed that the entire Guzamala Local Government area where he hailed from, is still under the control of Boko Haram sect.

Lawan disclosed this while speaking at Guzamala Concerned Stakeholders’ meeting in Maiduguri, Borno.

“There is no single existence of civil life in Guzamala, not to even talk of Military presence in the Council Headquarter and its surrounding communities. All the area is dominated by armed Boko Haram Fighters,” Lawan said.

Lawan added that he has been agitating for military presence in Guzamala to enable his displaced people take advantage of Gov. Babagana Zulum’s move in reconstruction and resettlement, but to no avail, as Guzamala is still a ‘no go area’.

“We have a total of 774 Local Government areas in Nigeria, we in Guzamala Council want the Federal Government to tell us whether Guzalama has been cancelled out of the 774 so that we can know our position and look for the option,” Lawan said.

The speaker said even in the whole of the ten local government areas in the entire Northern Borno, lives only exist in the nine council headquarters, but not inwards or villages, as most people from Northern Borno including their Imams, traditional rulers and stakeholders reside in Maiduguri and other host communities.

Lawan appealed to the new service chiefs led by the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Leo Irabor to put in their best and restore civil presence in Guzamala and its surrounding communities.