by Laila Ibrahim

Governor of Adamawa State, James Ngilari has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to save his state from being taken over by Boko Haram insurgents.

Ngilari made the comments after a closed-door meeting with President Jonathan on Thursday, 6 November, at the Presidential Villa, in Abuja.

He disclosed that five local governments in Adamawa State have been taken over by Boko Haram insurgents, while pleading with the military authorities to deploy more troops to the state.

Ngilari said that failure to increase military presence in the state may see it fall to the terrorists, stating that Adamawa required a more urgent intervention by the Federal Government.

He said, “The security situation in Adamawa is very dicey right now and we are only trying to do our best to manage the situation. We are praying that it will improve, but it is really something to worry about”.

He also spoke on the number of towns being occupied by the terrorists, saying, “I can talk of my entire senatorial district, Mubi senatorial district. Five local governments have been overrun; Gombi was taken and I just got a report now that perhaps they are on the outskirts of Shanli.”

“There is a semblance of movement in that area. Really, we need a lot of intervention. We need to move more troops to secure the state. Really, it is a big challenge,” he added.

According to the governor, the seizure of the home town of the Chief of Defence Staff, is insignificant in the scheme of things, and should be not be made a meal of.

Ngilari stated. “We shouldn’t reduce this issue of the insurgency to simply the taking over of the house of the defence chief. There are a whole lot of things that make the challenge of insecurity. What about the problem of unemployment? You know it is a whole long story. We don’t just reduce it to the taking over of the house of the defence chief. I think it is more than that. Absolutely it is a challenge. We look up to God, God is there, there is nothing impossible for Him.”

Kolapo Olapoju