Army: We are planning to relocate Baga residents to safer locations

The army says it is working towards relocating the residents of Baga, a community in Borno state, to safer locations.

Onyema Nwachukwu, deputy director public relations, theatre command of Operation Lafiya Dole, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.

Nwachukwu said this is in view of ongoing military operations in the area.

Last week, insurgents attacked the headquarters of the 7 brigade multinational joint task force (MNJTF) at Baga and hoisted their flag in the town.

But the army said it was in pursuit of the “fleeing terrorists”, adding that Boko Haram is not in control of the town.

Nwachukwu also said some people were trying to create panic and “unnecessary” humanitarian problems in some parts of Borno.

He said these unnamed people are plotting to instigate the inhabitants of Bama, Dikwa and Monguno communities to abandon their communities and relocate to internally displaced persons (IDP) camps for undisclosed reasons.

“It has come to our attention that these people are plotting to instigate the inhabitants of Bama, Dikwa and Monguno communities to abandon their communities and relocate to IDP camps for undisclosed reasons,” he said.

“The inhabitants of these towns and the general public are please urged to discountenance such calls and remain calm. Theatre command, Operation LAFIYA DOLE and other Security Agencies will shed more light on the issue in a Security Council meeting with the Borno state government, scheduled to hold on Monday 31st December 2018.

“We would like to further state that there is no basis for the people of Bama, Dikwa and Monguno to vacate their respective communities.

“Members of the public are advised to remain calm as the military is in firm control to guarantee their safety and security. We would like to warn that any attempt to cause further panic through this false alarm would be viewed very seriously.”