The Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima has ordered an immediate release of relief materials, such as food stuff and clothes to residents of Baga town whose houses, livestock and other property were destroyed in the clash between the North-East Joint Border Security Task Force (JB-STF) and Boko Haram insurgents.
The clash left at least 185 people death as over 200 houses were claimed to have been razed down in Baga town some 200 kilometers north of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
A statement issued by the special adviser to the governor on Communication, Isa Umar Gusau also indicates that a panel has been raised to ascertain the “immediate and remote” causes of the Baga carnage that claimed several lives and property in the border town.
The statement also directed the state Ministry of Works and Transport to as a matter of urgency mobilize to sites in Baga town to commence the rebuilding of destroyed houses, pointing out that the committee set up is to investigate and submit a report on the causes of the crises, take records of all those killed or injured as well as take stock of all houses destroyed and recommend compensations.
The statement however debunk number of persons killed as reported by the media saying “the total number of persons killed as well as houses destroyed has not been accurately ascertained by any competent authority as government awaits the report of its committee or any reliable source of information to ascertain accurate figures.
“Casualties of the Baga carnage; were solely based on accounts by some residents in Baga, who spoke with the Governor during his visit, as the author (s) reported the news without any independent verification for accuracy and with no form of investigation whatsoever.
“Governor Shettima however believes that regardless of the number of persons affected, the incident was gruesome and highly condemnable since the life of a single human being is as important as the lives of thousands of humans.”
The governor according to the statement has ordered release of funds to the Ministry of Works to move equipment and brick making machines to Baga town to begin reconstruction while he held several meetings with stakeholders from Kukawa local government area to take measures that will further ameliorate the conditions of surviving victims and other residents.
On insecurity to lives and property in the state, the statement said the governor is taking other firm and appropriate measures that will ensure the security of lives and property in the State as government is working round the clock to ensure an end to the security challenges in the State.
The statement also expressed strong optimism that the ongoing efforts for peaceful resolution of the crisis through the amnesty programme being worked by the federal government will help in solving the problem as it calls on the amnesty committee members to be resilient as the task before them is such that will not entertain any failure because of the peace the state has been yearning for.