Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State has lamented the havoc being wrecked on the state by members of the Boko Haram sect, saying the people of the state have suffered.
Shettima spoke while granting audience to the Brig.-Gen. Ibrahim Sabo (retd.)-led Presidential Fact-finding Committee on the Chibok Abduction in Maiduguri.
A statement by the committee’s spokesman, Kingsley Osadolor, on Wednesday quoted the governor as lamenting the losses suffered by the state and its people over the years as a result of terrorism.
He was also quoted as saying that members of the sect are insulting Islam by claiming to be Muslims because their actions contradict the tenets of the religion.
“Borno has seen evil times. Our people have suffered. To every other Muslim worldwide, these men (who) kill, destroy and abduct, insult Islam by calling themselves Muslims. They have contradicted every single tenet of the Islamic religion,” the governor was quoted as saying.
Shettima however pledged to collaborate with the Federal Government and other support groups to ensure freedom for the abducted schoolgirls, and collectively fight the insurgency.
While stating that the committee was motivated by patriotism and the fear of God, the committee’s chairman urged the governor to maintain his equanimity and endurance in the face of the heat on the state.
Meanwhile, the committee had also met with military commanders, the State Commissioner of Police, state Director of the Department of State Services, Commanders of Customs, Immigration, and Prisons formations, as well as the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
Osadolor said the first round of the consultations holding in Maiduguri, the state capital took place till late on Monday while the second session continued on Tuesday.
He identified others who have interfaced with the committee to include the principal officers of Government Secondary School, Chibok, where the mass abduction took place, and the Chairman of Chibok Local Government.
“We are pleased with the candour of the officers. In the light of what we have heard and ascertained from the intensive engagement so far, I am confident that the Committee will discharge its mandate,” he quoted the committee chairman as saying.
He said part of the Committee’s task was to articulate a framework for a multi-stakeholder action for the rescue of the missing girls, as well as mobilise the surrounding communities and the general public on citizen support for a rescue strategy and operation.
Osadolor said the security chiefs who interacted with the committee have been in the theatre of conflict with the insurgents, including the time of the abduction of the schoolgirls.
He said the officers’ range of briefs included the roles and responses of their respective commands before, during, and after the abduction incident.
The spokesman added that the officers also discussed the measures adopted so far, together with the results, and other steps that might be necessary to secure freedom for the schoolgirls.