BEVERLY HILLS, February 11, (THEWILL) – President Muhammadu Buhari has asserted that none of the 774 local government areas in the country is under the control of Boko Haram insurgents.
The Senator representing Borno Central in the National Assembly, Baba Kaka Garbai was recently reported to have alleged that only three out of the 27 local government areas in the State were under the full control of the Nigerian Armed Forces, with the insurgents in full or partial control of most parts of the State.
Shortly after this statement was made, the Borno State Governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima clarified that Boko Haram insurgents were no longer occupying any of the 27 local government areas in the state. The Nigerian Army has also come out to debunk the claim.
His words, “it is unbelievable that such a statement could have emanated from Senator Baba Kaka Bashir Garbai. I can’t believe he said that because as a Senator, he has access to the Chief of Defence Staff, the Chief of Army Staff, the IGP and even the Presidency and he is not the type that even speaks to the media easily; so, this is why I am at a loss, I have not been able to get in touch with him yet to get his own side, to hear from him what he actually said; but for now, I suspect he must have been misquoted or if he wasn’t misquoted, he must have spoken based on emotional outburst and not anchored on ground realities.”
However, Buhari, at a joint briefing with the visiting German President, Mr. Joachim Guack at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Thursday maintained that the senator’s position was incorrect.
He went on to solicit the support of Germany in making sure that Nigeria emerges a permanent member of the United Nations’ Security Council, UNSC.
