Security sources and locals residing in communities outside most of the Local Government Areas in northern and some other parts of central and Southern Borno State in Northeast Nigeria have revealed that there are still towns and villages under the control of the dreaded Islamic sect, Boko Haram, and Islamic State for West African Province also known as ISWAP.
Sani Adam Malumfatori, a resident of Maiduguri informed that, “These Local Government Areas include: Abadam, Gwoza, Guzamala, Kalabalge, Magumeri, Gubio, Marte, Damasak and Dikwa in Borno State as well as Yunusari and Gaidam in Yobe state.
Read Also: Unknown gunmen kill football billionaire Philip Udala, club manager in Anambra
People living in those villages or crossing from one town to another or from one local government to another still pay taxes to the terrorists who normally block the road against travelers, DAILY POST reports”
Malumfatori said although local government headquarters seem secured, the same cannot be said of towns and villages under them.
International NGO officials working in Borno State have also said that there are areas, particularly in the northern Borno and the Lake Chad area where activities of Boko Haram/ISWAP is still showing red and they are not expected to carry out any activity there for the safety and security of aid workers. He said those areas are ”no-go areas”
“Despite the fact that there are no incidents in Maiduguri, the non-state actors have been very much active outside Maiduguri. There are hundreds of people in need of food and medications that cannot be reached particularly in the Lake Chad region due to the increasing activities of AOG (Armed opposition Group),” a security official with one of the INGO in Borno said.
Herald reported earlier this month that ISWAP, a terrorist organization, which broke out from the mother body – Boko Haram in 2016 declared that a new union of ISWAP-Boko Haram terrorists’ group has reshuffled its leadership and structures.
This followed the death of some top commanders in a battle with the Nigerian military who are currently on clearance operations in most towns and villages across Borno State.