Borno State Governor, Prof Babagana Zulum, on Thursday, busted illegal water vendors who had constructed specialised dams to divert water distribution from pumped public water network for commercial benefits.
Zulum, during a surprise visit to communities in Jere and Maiduguri Metropolis, discovered that certain vendors have constructed specialised water dams, blocking and diverting waterflow to create artificial shortage.
The vendors were artificially creating water shortages to inflate prices and maximise their profits while the citizens suffer.
“It is unfortunate to notice that while the government spend millions to provide water to the people, few individuals have constructed specialised dams, most with multiple layers of reservoirs. Some of them can store more than one million litres of water,” Zulum said.
He added, “Everyday, our treatment plant process and distribute about 40 million litres of water; these criminals trap the larger amount of those supplies for commercial gain.”
Expressing his anger, Zulum vowed to take swift and decisive action against those responsible.
“It is unacceptable that some individuals would exploit the suffering of our people for their own selfish gains. We will not tolerate such criminal activities that jeopardize the lives of our citizens,” the governor said.
