Decade of Boko Haram: Insurgency claims 350, 0.0 lives, loss of N3.412trn worth of property in North East

The North East Development Commission (NEDC) has donated 70 patrol vehicles and five ambulances to Army and Navy to secure the Northeast region.

The decade long Boko Haram insurgency in region has destroyed about 350,000 lives  and property worth  N3.412 trillion were ravaged in the over ten years of insurgency  in the Northeastern states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe.

This was contained in an address by the Managing Director of North East Development Commission, (NEDC), Mohammed Alkali at the presentation of patrol vehicles and ambulances to security agencies,held at the multipurpose hall of Government House, Maiduguri on Thursday, to further secure the region from incessant bokoharam insurgency that has lingered on for about 11 years resulting to collossal loss of lives and  property.

Items distributed included 70 patrol vehicles to the Army, Navy and other security agencies while some tertiary health institutions benefitted from the five ambulances to boost the capacity of stakeholders in the subregion.

According to the Managing Director, NEDC, Mohammed Alkali, “Without lasting security, peace and stability; the commission cannot perform its short and long term statutory functions as the long term functions include early recovery, resilience, peace building and socio-economic development of insurgency affected states”.

He hinted that, the North-East Security Summit and Civil-Security Cooperation in Humanitarian Intervention workshop recommended that security forces at war front require urgent logistics support that will enable military and other security agencies overcome security challenges in region.

“Today’s event of distribution of patrol vehicles could achieve lasting peace and stability in Northeast,” he said.

On the restoration  of livelihoods of displaced persons, he argued that,it could only be attained when security and stability prevail in the insurgency affected states.

 “There will be vicious cycle of hunger, ill health, sufferings, depression with persistent humanitarian crises,” he warned.

In his remarks, the National Security Advisor (NSA), Maj-Gen. Babagana Monguno,(rtd) stressed that the resurgence of terrorist activities in the northeast,after several years of lull, has put the military and other security agencies in difficult situation for several reasons and opined that, “any assistance from any quarter; like the commission donating patrols vehicles and ambulances is welcome.”

The mandate of the commission, he said included the promotion of stability in relations between military and civilian populace in northeast and commended the commission for  demonstrating confidence in Armed Forces and security agencies by providing multi-dimensional support to their efforts.

The NSA also spoke on the  donated five ambulances,“The tertiary health institutions in the region; have not been left out”he maitained as, “The commission is boosting the capacities of Stakeholders in the security and health sectors.”

Also speaking at the occasion,Senate President, Sen. Ahmed Lawan, who was represented by Sen.Mohammed Ali Ndume, said that the commission should collaborate with the  state government to overcome the challenges of reconstruction, rehabilitation and resettlement (RRR) of destroyed communities and about 1.8 million displaced persons in IDP camps and urged the commission to ‘rebuilt and rehabilitate’ federal roads, including the ones that link neighbouring countries of Niger, Chad and Cameroon.

Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, said the only option to forge ahead despite  the,over a decade long of insecurity, is the restoration of peace through continuous reconstruction, rehabilitation and resettlement process in the state and North East region.