Borno State governor, Professor Babagana Zulum has sympathised with 21 people injured by a bomb blast suspected to have been planted by Boko Haram terrorists along the Maiduguri-Damboa highway on Saturday.
LEADERSHIP gathered that out of the victims, 14 were severely injured, 7 others suffered minor injuries and were receiving treatment at the Specialist Hospital in Maiduguri.
Governor Zulum, while sympathising with the injured persons, expressed grief and solidarity with families of the 8 people that lost their lives.
“It is regrettable that it is happening at this time. Since last year or so, we have not witnessed an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack. The road was closed for about one month, and I believe this is one of the reasons the insurgents had the luxury of planting an IED”, Zulum said.
The Governor reiterated his administration’s commitment to supporting the security agencies, and urged the military to beef up surveillance along the highway to prevent future occurrences.
“I urge the Nigerian military and other security agencies to beef up surveillance along the road so that such incidents do not happen again,” Zulum stated.
“The government of Borno State will continue to partner with the Nigerian military and with the federal government to curtail the menace of insurgency. I want to assure the people of Borno State that, Insha Allah, under my watch, we wouldn’t allow the security situation to deteriorate.
“Our administration will provide more support to the security agencies and we will strengthen the resilience of our youth volunteers fighting alongside the military,” Zulum pledged.
Governor Zulum also expressed confidence with the outcome of the meeting held with military chiefs on Thursday in Abuja.
Responding to questions from newsmen in Maiduguri on Saturday after paying sympathy visit to the injured victims, Zulum said, “Our discussion during the security council was not bad; we just raised an alarm that Boko Haram activities are resurging in Borno State, and the state government, the military, and other stakeholders need to work together to avert the looming situation.”
He added service chiefs have assured that they will do everything possible to control the situation. “We are very happy with their response,” he said.
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