Boko Haram Regrouping in Nasarawa, Gov Warns

By Igbawase Ukumba

Nasarawa State Governor, Mr. Abdullahi Sule, has raised the alarm over the regrouping of Boko Haram members in three local government areas of the state.

He listed the LGAs as Wamba, Nasarawa and Karu, which share boundaries with the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Sule, in his opening speech yesterday during an expanded Security Council meeting in Lafia, said: “One of the reasons for calling the meeting is because of the security concern around the country and indeed around the state. From what we have seen so far, there are renewed activities of these dislodged bandits, we have these bandits that are in Utu in Toto LGA that were recently dislodged.

“Unfortunately, a lot of them, being members of Dar ul Salem that have turned into Boko Haram, have now actually regrouped in places like Bakono, Kabusu, Pander, Danbata and Gidan Rike in Nasarawa, Wamba and Karu LGAs.

“Also with the activities of what is happening in the South-west, starting with Ondo State and then recently what has happened to Hausa/Fulani community in Oyo State, have worsened the situation and we continue to see an influx of unknown Fulani herdsmen especially in Wamba, Karu, Doma and Awe LGAs.

“We have also seen what is happening to our schoolchildren where schoolchildren were originally kidnapped in Borno State, were moved to Katsina, then to Zamfara, down to Niger. And I strongly believe that even though we see it returning to Zamfara, we shouldn’t be taken off guards; we should be more proactive.”

Sule added that he has contacted security men in Abuja and mobile Special Forces had been sent to the state.

He said the Special Forces were divided into five units and sent to Gitata, Mararaba-Udege, Ogunba Tunga, Gudi Moro, Abaka in Farin Ruwa to monitor the situation in those areas.

The governor, while briefing State House correspondents after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja earlier this year had said the dislodged Boko Haram insurgents were regrouping in his state, particularly on the Benue/Nasarawa border.

But the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, later told journalists in Abuja that the governor had refuted the report while speaking with him over the issue.
Mohammed said the governor claimed he was quoted out of context.