Youths of Madagali Local Government Area in Adamawa state have said that the reason Boko Haram still persist in the area was because of the undue influence of some stakeholders on the military authorities to release some identified sect members.
Youth Leader, Alhaji Dauda Usman, who spoke on behalf of the youths at the flag-off distribution of relief materials by the Presidential Committee On The North East Initiative (PCNI) in Gulak town of Madagali LGA yesterday lamented that if the activities of such persons are not curtailed, the Boko Haram insurgency cannot be stopped completely..
According to him, Boko Haram have continued to enjoy cover from prominent personalities because whenever its members are identified by their victims, arrested and handed over to the military, some are later released and sent back into the society.
“You will see them walking freely, we know these people but afraid to mention names because they might come after you,” he said.
He also revealed that the hunters manning the areas complained that sometimes when they go into the bush they always bring back empty bags used to bring relief materials to Madagali.
He said the development is pathetic and called all sons and daughters of Madagali and government to come together and fight the insurgency to finish.
Also speaking at the distribution ceremony, the Chairman of Madagali local government, Alhaji Mohammed Yusuf, appreciated PCNI for the relief materials and promised that distribution will be done judiciously without religious, political or tribal sentiments.
Yusuf said the relief materials will go a long to cushion the hardship faced by the citizens due the persistence of insecurity challenges that had disallowed his people from farming for more than three years.
He said their major request is that government should provide security for them because the insurgents have left Sambisa and have returned and are camping closed Madagli.
The development, he noted, had denied farmers access to their farms for fear of attack by insurgents.
“My people are hardworking; one person could harvest between 500 to 1000 bags of grains from his farm but because of the insurgency our people cannot go to their farms and our women also cannot go out to fetch fire woods for the fear of attack”.
“What we need is not food alone, so government should provide us with adequate security especially now that we are approaching farming season”, he said.
While responding, the representative of PCNI, Hajiya Nafisa Joda who witnessed the distribution said the PCNI embarked on the distribution of relief materials to all the local government areas of the state affected by the insurgency.
She said among the local governments affected by insurgency Madagali was allocated the largest share of relief materials because it is the most affected.
Jodda said she has heard the plight of the people of Madagali and she will relay their plight to the sub-committee on security matters under PCNI to act with urgency to clear the remaining insurgents terrorizing the people.
