Senator representing Borno South in the National Assembly, Ali Ndume, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to increase efforts to secure the release of over 400 residents of Ngoshe in the Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State.
Ndume made an appeal in a statement on Monday.
Insurgents had attacked the community last month, destroying buildings and abducting residents.
Meanwhile, the military has since recovered the community from the terrorists.
In a fresh appeal, Ndume urged the federal government to complement the Borno State government in the resettlement of displaced residents, who he noted are willing to return to their communities given the military presence.
“It is on record that the Nigerian Army had since recovered Ngoshe from the insurgents and now occupies it. Those who were lucky to have escaped from their villages now seek refuge in Pulka.
“It is appalling that those of us in authority at the federal level have not met the expectations of our people in fulfillment of this sacred duty of securing lives and property, as enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution.
“We call on the Federal Government to take urgent and prompt actions to secure the release of over 400 residents of Ngoshe in captivity.
“We appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to set machinery in motion for the reconstruction of the Ngoshe community, which has been totally destroyed by the insurgents.
“The Federal Government should urgently support the Borno State Government that has already released N100 million for immediate reconstruction, resettlement, and rehabilitation of Ngoshe.
“The President should mandate its agencies like the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Ministry for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), and the Ministry of Housing to move into the Ngoshe community to support the state government.
“From my interactions with the people, they have indicated their willingness to go back to Ngoshe immediately and live in improvised tents before their houses are rebuilt in Ngoshe. The people really want to go back and live in camp in Ngoshe instead of Pulka.”
He commended what he called “the gallantry of men and officers of the Nigerian Army who had exhibited unusual patriotism as they remained resilient not to surrender to the evil activities of the insurgents amidst the inadequacies of the Federal Government to meet their expectations in terms of Training, Equipment, Ammunition & Motivation (TEAM)”.
The former Chairman of the Senate Committee on Army equally tasked the international community, particularly the United States, to beam their searchlight on three black spots in Borno State – Sambisa Forest, Mandara Mountains, and the Lake Chad region, an axis acknowledged as a haven of the terrorists, from where they always launch attacks.
“We urge the Nigerian Armed Forces, supported by the United States Army, to ensure that its actions are sustainable, not intermittent, until the terrorists have been wiped out.
“Finally, I want to reiterate my advocacy on the adoption of what I call the TEAM. It means Training, Equipment, Ammunition, and Mobilization of the Nigerian Armed Forces to ensure maximum output from them.”
