By SADIQ ABUBAKAR, Maiduguri –
Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum has ordered an immediate investigation into the killing of over 20 scavengers from Dikwa town by suspected insurgents affiliated to the Islamic State of the West African Province (ISWAP) in Dikwa LGA of the state.
Governor Zulum also said the state government would regulate the activities of the scavengers in the state in a bid to prevent further attacks by the insurgents.
The governor stated this on Friday in Maiduguri, shortly after a joint security meeting with the police, military, NSCDC and the executive members of Borno State Scrap, Metal and Iron Dealers Association.
Immediately after the closed door meeting, the security committee alongside the executive members of the scavengers and media took an inspection tour to the designated warehouse of the scavengers where they conducted a search on the scrap materials and vehicles at the Mechanical Workshop premises in Baga Road in Maiduguri, to ascertain the availability of stolen or vandalized public and private items from the stocks.
After the joint inspection, the Borno State Commissioner of Police, CP Abdul Umar briefed the journalists at the Mechanical Workshop premises, saying that ,”from the investigation we carry out, you can see that there is no any material that is incriminating that has been found.”
“We have also not seen any government property or vandalized item among the scraps except rotten or damaged scraps of metals and iron or burnt metal or iron materials”.
“And from the interview and meeting we conducted with the officials of the association. They said the scavengers killed in Dikwa and other places by the ISWAP members were not registered members of their association. The Chairman told us that all their members are registered and have ID card with them”.
The Commissioner of Police added that,” from our investigation also, we discovered that they have a policy and pattern of buying or getting their scraps in each LGC and even abroad from the Republic of Niger, Chad and Cameroon which the state shares borders with. “.
“Our major concern and interest is that the state government can not fold its arms and just watch citizens of the state being killed just like that while the relative peace being enjoyed by the citizens of the state is threatened or truncated.
” We are making concerted efforts to ensure the stability of relative peace in the state and would not allow citizens being killed for no cause. So, government is coming out with a working policy and guiding rules and regulations on how the scavengers or scrap metal dealers will operate in the state henceforth”. The police commissioner said.
Speaking to journalists, the Borno State Chairman of the Scraps Metal and Iron Association, Alhaji Umar Usman, said they have over 3000 registered members in the state and he distanced the association from the over 20 scavengers killed last week.
He added that all the registered members of the association in the state have valid membership Identity card for identification to security agents, customers or marketers, noting that in all the LGAs of the state, their registered members operate with the consent and supervision of the security agencies.
While noting that there are rules and regulations guiding its members in the purchase of scrap materials, the chairman said their members do not buy weapons or arms from anybody or source except scraps items that are not even vandalized.
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