Governor Shettima weeps over Boko Haram resurgence in Borno
Boko Haram resurgence in Borno State has driven Governor Kashim Shettima and some elders of the State to meet President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja over the security threats.
He arrived at the Presidential Villa at about 2.30 p.m. looking despondent and went straight to the council chamber, venue of the meeting, where he spoke amid tears, The Guardian reports.
The meeting was a follow up to an emergency security session in Maiduguri last Monday, which deliberated on the resurgence of Boko Haram activities in parts of the state.
The governor nevertheless expressed confidence in the ability of the president to restore normalcy to the troubled state.
He said:
“Between 2013 and 2014, we witnessed the most daring and most vicious evil of Boko Haram, losing 20 local government areas. We have rushed here because of the recent upsurge in the activities of the demented monster called Boko Haram especially in northern Borno senatorial district. We are here because since 2015, Mr. President, you were able to restore our hope.
“Sir, you have demonstrated empathy for Borno and an overriding commitment to ending Boko Haram. This is why we rushed here upon witnessing some setback.
We are here because we thought that Allah would use you to fully reclaim Borno’s traditional glory of being the home of peace. We are here as a people who worked, prayed and waited for your presidency in the firm belief that with you as Commander-in-Chief, Boko Haram will become history in Borno.
“Mr. President, we have not, and insha Allah, we will not lose hope in you because we have witnessed and survived worse moments before you came. We do not feel hopeless. Our hopes are very much alive and they are very high.
“We came with some observation and 10 requests for urgent presidential intervention. These observations and requests are products of discussion in the aftermath of our extraordinary security meeting held one week ago. We didn’t rush to come after the meeting. We felt the need to travel to northern Borno and interact with displaced persons and the military, so as to strengthen public confidence.
“I will seek the understanding of journalists in not making public any of our observations and requests. They are matters of security, which we hope to discuss with Mr. President behind close doors.”
The meeting, which was initially opened to the media, later went into a closed-door session with lawmakers representing the three senatorial areas of the state, members of the House of Representatives, All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate, traditional and religious leaders in attendance.