Borno Speaker Mourns Killing Of 9 Passengers By IED In Borno Village

The Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly (BOSHA), Hon. Abdulkarim Lawan on Sunday expressed deep shock over the killing of nine passengers by Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) suspected to have been planted at a local bus stop in Mairari village of Guzamala local government area of the state.

The incident, which occurred on Saturday at about 11 am, also injured scores. The victims were later evacuated to Monguno and Maiduguri, where they are receiving treatment.

The speaker, who confirmed the incident, also consoled the families of the deceased and those who sustained varying degrees of injuries. He prayed that Allah grant the deceased Aljanatul Firdaus and wished the injured ones a quick recovery.

Hon. Lawan, who hails from Guzamala local government area of the northern part of Borno State, appealed to the military and other security agencies to recapture the entire Guzamala, especially Gudumbali, the council headquarters, Mairari village and its environs, which have been deserted and have been under the control of Boko Haram without civil authority for many years.

Recall that Mairari village, situated along the main road, is about 18km from Monguno local government area and 119km from Maiduguri, the state capital.

The agrarian village, which was hitherto dislodged and resettled two times, is now a ghost community due to intensive and renewed Boko Haram attacks. However, the villagers are mostly resilient farmers who relocated to nearby Monguno and Gajiram towns for safety. They are usually shuttled around the community to engage in their farms and hunting during the daytime.

Thereafter, they will gather at a specific bus stop in Mairari to board commercial vehicles for daily trips to Monguno, Gajiram, or Maiduguri after the exercise.

Unfortunately, some terrorists went and planted an IED at the usual bus stop, which exploded and wreaked havoc.

Speaker Lawan said: “It is unfortunate that nine of my resilient constituents were killed by a planted IED today while waiting to board vehicles at a local bus stop in Mairari village. May Allah grant their souls Aljanatul Firdaus. I also pray for a quick recovery for those evacuated to Monguno and Maiduguri hospitals for treatment after the incident.

“You are aware that Mairari village, which was hitherto the only village that was resettled twice with civil authority in the whole of Guzamala local government area, has remained deserted again due to Boko Haram/ISWAP attacks.

“As resilient people, most of them who are taking refuge in Monguno, Guzamala and Maiduguri usually visit the Mairari community and engage in their farms. Unfortunately, some terrorists who have been monitoring their movement went and planted an IED at their local bus stop, which exploded while waiting to join commercial vehicles back to their area of operation.

” I know that the newly deployed Theatre Commander of North East ‘Operation Hadin Kai’, Major General Abdulsalam Abubakar and his troops are doing well in the fight against Boko Haram/ISWAP, let me reiterate my appeal for the military to take over the entire Guzamala local government area which has remained under Boko Haram territory, so as to restore civil authority.”