The
Senator representing Borno Central at the National Assembly, Zannah
Ahmed, has said the people of Bama, a commercial town in Borno State
captured by Boko Haram about a month ago are, dying of starvation daily.
He said the condition of the people of
the town was so pitiable that the aged and women, who could not flee the
town in the wake of the capture, depended on the insurgents to feed.
Speaking on the telephone with our
correspondent, the senator said, “It is quite unfortunate that the
military has shied away from moving down to Bama to free the town from
the insurgents several days after it was captured.
“I do not understand the strategy of the
military and we deserve an explanation why Bama is still not freed even
as the information we are receiving from the town indicates that there
are just a few insurgents who are not well armed taking charge of the
town.
“The only challenge the military might
face is between Konduga and Bama where the insurgents are said to be
many. But inside Bama town, they are few and not well armed and it will
only require a few soldiers to flush them out.”
He added, “I learnt that the insurgents
have been distributing beans to the people but this does not last, as
they go on for days without food. To even move out of the town is
another sad story entirely.
“Many women that fled the town and who took a long trek to Maiduguri died en route. They collapsed and died from thirst.
“Can we be said to be winning the war on
Boko Haram, if some of our towns are being captured and our people are
living at the mercy of insurgents?” he asked.
He argued that the military had no excuse
for allowing the insurgents to continue to occupy Bama and Gwoza,
saying, “for rag-tag militants to hold the nation to ransom is an
embarrassment to the country.”
No comments:
Post a Comment