‘You’re naive,’ Zulum slams minister over Borno blast comments

Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, has criticised the Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, describing him as “naive” about the country’s security realities following a deadly Boko Haram attack on the Damboa-Maiduguri Road on Saturday.

 

The explosion, which occurred on the major road linking the state capital, Maiduguri, to Damboa, killed at least eight people, severely injured seven others, and left 14 more with minor injuries.

 

It is the latest in a series of attacks by Boko Haram insurgents, underscoring the persistent security challenges in the region.

 

Zulum, reacting after the incident, faulted the minister’s recent remarks on the state’s security.

 

“I believe the Minister of Information is naive about what is happening in the country. He doesn’t know what is ongoing in the country,” Zulum said.

 

He urged greater resilience from both the affected communities and the Nigerian Army, calling for sustained efforts to secure the volatile road.

 

“I want to advise the communities to be resilient enough. I want to advise the Nigerian Army to be resilient enough because there’s no way people will travel a distance of 700 kilometers to go to Damboa.

 

“Ordinarily, they come here to Damboa, it’s only about 100 kilometers,” he stated.

Despite the attack, Zulum reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to ensuring the safety of the Maiduguri-Damboa route.

 

“We shall ensure that travel from Maiduguri to Damboa will continue. This will not deter us from following the road, artillery, and all other security agencies to give up security along the road so that such incidents will not happen again,” he added.

 

The governor disclosed that he had met with top military officials in Abuja, including the Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Naval Staff, and Chief of Air Staff, who assured him of continued efforts to combat insurgency.

 

“We are so happy with the response that we had from the service chiefs,” he said.

 

Zulum expressed confidence that Borno would not return to the height of insecurity seen in previous years.

 

“I want to assure the people of Borno State that, Insha Allah, under my watch, Boko Haram will not have the capacity to do what they did before,” he stated.

He also emphasised continued collaboration with the federal government and the military to address the state’s security concerns.

 

“I will keep up to the expectations of the people of Borno State by completely addressing the problem of insecurity,” he said.