Don’t let Marte fall to Boko Haram insurgents – Gov Zulum begs FG

Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, has urged the Federal Government to implement decisive strategies to prevent Marte town from falling into the hands of Boko Haram insurgents.Marte is a Local Government Area (LGA) in Borno State, Nigeria, situated on the western edge of Lake Chad. The town of Marte serves as the administrative headquarters of the LGA. Geographically, it lies at approximately 1222N latitude and 1349E longitude.Speaking to journalists on Sunday, May 18,  Zulum explained that his visit to Marte aimed to strengthen community cooperation, encourage resilience, and maintain support for security agencies. Marte was resettled about four years ago, but unfortunately, over the last three days, it was ransacked and displaced again, he said. The governor noted that approximately 20,000 people had fled Marte for Dikwa, warning that such a large displacement could lead to increased vulnerability among young people, making them susceptible to insurgent recruitment. Alhamdulillah, we returned to Marte yesterday and spent the night there with support from the Nigerian Army and our volunteers. The community is now resettled for the second time, he stated. He called on the Federal Government and the Nigerian Army to do everything possible to maintain control over the town. Marte Local Government once had over 300 towns and villages. Now only one remains. If we cannot hold this one, we risk losing the entire Local Government to the insurgents, which would be unacceptable. Zulum stressed the importance of unity and cooperation, urging both the government and the military to work together to ensure the survival of the remaining community. He reaffirmed his administrations commitment to supporting security agencies in the pursuit of lasting peace in Borno State.