Security agencies take control of Borno communities liberated from Boko Haram

Some security agencies have deployed their personnel back to communities in the 24 local government areas in Borno state liberated from the Boko Haram insurgent group by the military.

Damian Chukwu, the state commissioner of police, told NAN in Maiduguri that his command had deployed its men in almost all the liberated communities.

He said the police deployed men from different departments to the areas due to their peculiarities.

He also said the three areas left are as a result of ongoing military operations in those places.

“We have our men in the local government areas liberated from the Boko Haram insurgents,” he said.

“We are in Kala- Balge, Monguno, Gwoza, Askira-Uba, Damboa, Chibok, Nganzai, Gubio, Damasak, Konduga, Kukawa, Bama and other areas,” Chukwu said.

“The only local government areas we have yet to deploy personnel are: Abadam, Guza Mala and Marte, and this is due to an ongoing military operations there.

“We are waiting for signals from the military to enable us to move in and as soon as the signals come we will deploy our men.

“Based on the peculiar situation in the state, we deploy personnel from police departments such as the mobile police, counter terrorism unit and explosive ordinance department (EOD).”

Similarly, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) in the state said it has also deployed its officers back to the recovered communities.

Musa Jahun, the NIS comptroller in the state, said the command had returned its personnel to three main border posts in the state – Gamboru, Banki and Damasak.

“The first area we returned was Gamboru-Ngala, a border community with the Cameroon Republic. We deployed our men in the registration and control posts for refugees returning from Cameroon,” he added.

“We have been there for almost four months now, but we are just providing skeletal services. We are registering returnees in conjunction with the UN commission for refugees.

“Any place that is liberated from the terrorists, the chief of army staff (COAS) will usually perform a kind of celebration after which the paramilitary chiefs will meet with him to decide on the next line of action. The Nigeria Immigration Service and other paramilitary bodies will then move in.”

He also said the service had also commenced rebuilding of its structures damaged by insurgents.

“We began with that of Gamboru station. The NIS service headquarters has reconstructed the housing blocks, while the Borno government has assisted in rebuilding the offices.”

NAN reports that the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) also said it has stationed its officials in the areas “recovered” from the sect.

Danladi Daorong, the NSCDC head of operations in the state, listed the areas where its officials have returned to include Bama, Konduga, Jere, Mafa, Gubio, Dikwa and Gamboru.

“We are in the process of deploying our men in Damboa and other few areas,” Daorong added.

He, however, said that its operations are hampered by lack of mobility “as we do not have vehicles to move around,” but nonetheless, “we are doing our best in the circumstances”.