Borno bombing: Minister naive of happenings in the country- Zulum

Governor Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno State has reacted to a news report which suggested that Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, dismissed the recent concerns he raised regarding the security situation in the state.

Zulum had said Boko Haram has renewed its attacks and kidnappings in the state with little pushback from security forces, suggesting that authorities in the region are losing ground to the insurgents.Zulum stated this during a meeting with security forces in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, on Tuesday.Daily Trust reports that Boko Haram militants and its offshoot, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), have mainly operated in the northeast of Nigeria, attacking security forces and civilians, and killing and displacing tens of thousands of people.

However, the Minister was said to have dismissed the governor in a publication

In a statement signed by Rabiu Ibrahim, the Special Assistant (Media) to the Minister, Idris noted that this is categorically false and a gross distortion of the Minister’s remarks.

“At no time did the Minister say, ‘Ignore Zulum, Boko Haram is not taking over Borno.’ Such a headline is not only sensational but deliberately crafted as a deliberate act of misinformation to stoke public misunderstanding and distract from the serious work the Federal Government is doing to address security challenges,” the statement said.

Weighing in, Zulum in an interview with journalists said the information minister is naïve of what is happening in the country.

He reiterated his administration’s commitment to tackle the resurgence of Boko Haram in the state.