28th October, 2017
Governor of Borno State Kashim Shettima says there is a good chance that the Chibok girls who are still in captivity can be found in the Sambisa Forest.
Governor Shettima said this in an exclusive interview with Channels Television on Friday, amid continued anticipation about their release or rescue.
He said, “The last time they were picked, they were picked from the banky axis. So probably, for those of them that are under the custody of Shekau, they may be deep in the boil of the Sambisa forest.
“That is my own opinion. For those of them that are with other groups that are dispersed in the Lake Chad region, and in other parts of the state, I don’t think all of them can be got at once. But I believe that those under the custody of Shekau, I believe a substantial number of them can be found in the Sambisa forest.”
Governor Shettima lamented the destruction and level of devastation caused by the attacks of the Boko Haram sect in the region with Borno State being the worst hit.
He said, “The Boko Haram are there in the Sambisa forest, I am not disputing that fact. The Boko Haram are scattered in almost all parts of the state. But they no longer have the strength to hold onto any territory in Nigeria.
“The Boko Haram rolled discussions worth $9Bn in the North East. Borno accounts over $5.6Bbn worth of destruction. The Boko Haram destroyed a total of 900k units of houses in Borno making 30 percent of the total stock of houses.
The governor praised the signing of the North-East Development Commission bill by president Mohammed Buhari which he says will help give the region a development lift.
“What we witnessed in the North-East in the past 10 years equally requires one of the services of the NEDC. It is a very momentous deal, which will turn out to be a game changer in the North-East Development equation.
“It will give us a platform of having a body charged with the responsibility of harmonising, regulating all the different bodies serving the same purpose.”