By Olusegun Emmanuel, Abuja.
The House of Representatives has directed President Goodluck Jonathan to relocate the Nigerian Army Headquarters to Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, as a measure to urgently tackle the Boko Haram insurgency in the region.
The House resolved that the move would jolt the Chief of Army Staff to the reality on ground and enable the army to devise means to address the problems.
The House resolution was sequel to a motion moved by Hon. Iye Guntha (APC, Borno), on Tuesday, urging government to liaise with the governments of Chad, Niger Republic and Cameroon to discuss a common ground to tackle the activities of the insurgents around border areas.
The House also resolved that the military should provide additional personnel to strategic settlements in the region in order to protect lives and property in those areas.
The House also commiserated with the people and government of Borno State over the recent killings. It urged the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, to urgently provide relief materials to the affected victims.
Arguing on the motion, Guntha expressed worries over mindless killing of civillians and the soldiers in a renewed attacks by insurgents in Izge village and several others villages in Gavva West and East Local Government Areas, while 150 houses were burnt.
He said in Zalidva village, Sabon Gari, 14 people were killed, while 30 houses were destroyed previously.
Further recounting the losses of previous attacks, Guntha said “In Ngoshe town, 46 people were killed, while 30 houses were razed down; 7 people were killed in Hambaged and about 140 cattle were taken away.”
According to him, “In Chinene village, seven people were killed and also Krawa town, 20 people were slaughtered and 20 shops razed down. Emir of Gwoza’s house at Jaje village was razed with property and food stuffs worth millions of Naira
destroyed. Several houses in Juba village and places of worship were razed down with property worth millions of Naira destroyed,” he said.
He said 10 people were also killed in Wala ‘A’ and three people in Wala ‘B’, adding that many cattle were taken away during an attack in the two villages.
“In Ndufa village, six deaths were recorded and 120 cattle taken away, while in Pulka town one person was killed and eight people were abducted. In Ngoshe Sama village, 18 people were killed and 80 houses were razed and 150 cattle taken away. A total of about 120 places of worship were destroyed by the gunmen from December, 2013 to February, 2014, including churches and
mosques,” he added.
Contributing to the motion, Hon. Mohammed Monguno (APC, Borno), said the
insurgents appeared more equipped than the security men handling the crisis.
Also contributing, Hon. Titsi Ganama (PDP, Adamawa) said the government must as
a matter of urgency tackle insurgency as it was getting out of hand.
