Inspite Of N150 million Donation to Adamawa Govt. For IDPs, Gov. Bindow Is yet to come to our aid- Madagali Lawmaker

Tom Garba

The disturbing suffering on the IDPs in Madagali LGA of Adamawa state has pushed the lawmaker representing the area in the state house of Assembly, Hon. Emmanuel Tsamdu to cry out that the Adamawa state Governor has failed to intervene and address the needs faced by victims of Boko Haram insurgency in the state despite donations he said the government has continued to receive from individuals, government and other aid agencies.

He bares his mind about the plight of his constituents to Journalists yesterday, as he also noted that over 500 Boko Haram sect members have been killed by local hunters within the last two months alone while decrying the growing shortage of food in the area occasioned by the upscale in military activities ahead of the December deadline given by the Presidency.

While lamenting the problem being faced by his constituent in Madagali by sharing border with Sambisa forest regretted  that the upsurge in  sporadic attacks by the insurgent in the area was spurned by escaping insurgents search for food and shelter, has taken its toll on food resource on the war ravaged community.

” We people are running short of food supply, you know food which is a necessity remains the greatest need of the people of Madagali for now,” he said.

But he however stressed that the state government which ought to be responsible for the welfare of the returnees, was yet to come to their aid, despite the N150 million donations at its disposal, which he said the government had received as donations from the Lagos state government and Alh. Mai Deribe a renowned philanthropist from Borno State.

Emmanuel while arguing that the state government has no excuse whatsoever to shirk from its responsibility in view security votes and other releases meant to support the victims of the insurgency, queried the state government use of the N50 million donations received from the Lagos State government and an influential Borno business man who also donated N100 million to assist IDPs in the state.

” As I speak to you there has not been any intervention by the state government. We have not seen and we have not heard anything about this funds. Because nobody has come to their aid except Red Cross, the UNHCR and other aid agencies.”

According to him the health centers built by the government in the area, which is over 50 years old has been completely destroyed by the insurgents. According to him the only functional health facility serving the  returnees is the health center operated by the Catholic church in Shuwa.

He said because Madagali, shared a common boundary with Sambisa forest, current  military and Air operations to dislodge the insurgents in the forest has put the area under constant attacks of fleeing members of the sect who ransack communities in the area for food and shelter.

Emma observed that these attacks were behind the worsening food situation in the area because most returnees are afraid of going to their farms over fears of being killed by the insurgents lurking around bushes and the  mountainous terrain.

The lawmaker also revealed that to curtail the upsurge of sporadic attacks been waged by the insurgents also, some stakeholders in the area including himself contributed to raising a 500 member strong vigilante force made up of local hunters drawn from across 20 local government areas of the state.

Disclosed that the vigilante force raised to contain the attacks from the insurgents has killed well over 500 Boko Haram sect escaping from Sambisa forest in recent times, noting that the success of the local hunters had been muted not to draw unwarranted press coverage and human right issues.

He also claimed the upkeep of the force which enjoins harmonious partnership with military is footed by stakeholders from the area because the Adamawa state government has not been forthcoming with funding.