From Fred Itua, Abuja
Former Senate leader and lawmaker representing Borno South in the upper legislative chamber, Ali Ndume, has warned that insurgency is gaining momentum, again, in three North East states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa.
Ndume, who addressed newsmen in Abuja, soon after his bill on the establishment of a Federal College of Education, Gwoza, scaled a second reading, said many villages and towns in the region were being overrun by the insurgents.
Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, hails from Yobe. Other ranking politicians in the country are from the three affected North Eastern states.
He said the Federal Government must do more to protect the people and restore law and order.
Ndume said the entire Borno is still without power supply for three months and pleaded with the appropriate authorities to fix the problem.
The Senate Committee chairman on Army, revealed why bandits and insurgents are targeting schools. He said schools provide a safe platform where a large number of people can be easily abducted.
He, however, said the current spate of insecurity should not deter the government from establishing more higher institutions across the country. He said the demand for higher education was on the rise and urged government to step up its game.
Ndume said: “What the rest of the country is experiencing is what we have been having in Borno. Today, no place is safe in Nigeria. Government really needs to step up and ensure we are safe. This can’t continue like this. We need to act.
“Just a few days ago, Boko Haram terrorists overran a place just about 30 kilometres from Maiduguri. A major in the army and soldiers were killed. Recently too, about 35 soldiers were killed by insurgents on Maiduguri-Damaturu Road.
“In fact, in that village that was overrun by the insurgents, it took the intervention of a combined military operation to regain it. This is a common thing in the North East now. We want peace in Nigeria and the government must do everything possible to restore law and order.”
