Zulum: I’m Not Aware Of Any ISWAP-Appointed Governor

…Seeks FG’s assistance to repatriate 200,000 refugees

Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum, has emphasised that he is fully in control of the state, saying he is not aware of any part of the state being governed by Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP).

Zulum said the reported appointment of a governor over some territories in Borno State by Boko Haram/ISWAP remains unauthenticated, restating that he is fully in charge of the state.

The governor, who made the disclosure yesterday after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House in Abuja, declared: “As far as I’m concerned, I’m the governor of Borno State, and I don’t have any information that we have another government in the Nigerian state. So I’m very much in charge.”

He, however, stressed that his government would not bother to investigate the issue.

There had been social media reports that the terrorists had appointed one Abba Kaka as the governor under a new leadership restructuring by an interim council.

The governor dismissed the authenticity of the report, saying: “We are yet to validate the authenticity of this report that ISWAP appointed a governor in Borno State. So, as the governor of the state, I think it’s not right for me to speak on something that I don’t have full knowledge of.”

Asked whether he would investigate it, Zulum said he won’t, blaming the report on the social media.

He said: “We are not investigatingt . This report is not authenticated. You have just seen somebody written something in one of the…I think it’s on Facebook or something like that. You’re a journalist and I think we have to prove reports beyond reasonable doubts before commenting on them.

Zulum said he was at the State House to seek the federal government’s assistance in repatriating the over 200,000 Borno indigenes who fled Nigeria to Chad, Cameroon and Niger Republic because of terrorism.

He stressed the need to bring them back as the security situation in the state has improved tremendously.

According to him, “Now that we have started witnessing the gradual return of peace to the state, these people that are taking refuge in our neighbouring countries are willing to return home. Therefore, the Borno State Government picked the date of November 27, 2021, for the commencement of the repatriation process, especially to local government areas of Abadam and Guzamala.

“So, I came to brief the president and to solicit his support, with the view to ensuring a hitch-free repatriation exercise.”