Governor of Borno State, Babagana Zulum, on Monday blamed Nigeria soldiers for the Sunday night attack by Boko Haram that killed over 30 stranded travellers.
He said this while visiting the scene where Boko Haram gunmen had attacked and massacred many travellers that were stranded outside the military entrance city gate outside Maiduguri, usually locked at 6p.m.
PREMIUM TIMES had earlier reported that at least 20 persons died in the deadly attack on Auno, a village 25 kilometers away from the main town of Maiduguri, the state capital.
A troop’s commander who was with the governor during his visit to the scene of the attacked tried to argue that soldiers were on ground in Auno, but the governor rebuffed him that “no you were not here.”
“Please we are not here to fight or argue; the fact is that nobody was here,” the governor insisted.
The governor confirmed that many lives were lost in the attack. “Look at it, for God’s sake, more than 30 lives were lost here in Auno,” he said.
Addressing the military commander, the governor said, “if you doubt what I am saying, can you count them by yourself?”
The governor said the Auno attack was forewarned. “Information was circulated and we got a security report from DSS that Jakana can be attacked, and they came and attacked as predicted, ” he said.
“This is sad because the Borno State University is not more than 8km from here; which means this is an attack on Maiduguri town. So if you cannot protect Maiduguri, then what happens to the rest of us in the city?
“Kindly move your soldiers here at the entrance gate of Maiduguri back ahead of Auno. This gate is a major problem for us; remove it and take it backward.”
The governor however pleaded with the people of Auno and the entire Maiduguri to “remain law-abiding and nobody should take law into his hands.”
