Army opens road to motorists in Borno, Yobe

Troops of Operation Lafiya Dole have opened the Maiduguri-Damaturu-Potiskum road to motorists in Borno and Yobe states.

Its Spokesman, Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, announced opening of the 232-kilometre road in a statement issued yesterday in Maiduguri.

According to him, rumours that troops have closed the Maiduguri-Damaturu-Potiskum road were not true.

“Our attention has been drawn to rumours that the Nigerian Army has closed the Madurai-Damaturu road. This is not true.

“What is happening is an ongoing clearance and snap checks operations in the area. This is required to clear suspected Boko Haram terrorists along that road.

“The clearance operation is ultimately for the safety and security of motorists and other road users,” the statement reads.

He urged members of the public to cooperate and bear with the troops, as they carry out the operations in Borno/Yobe axis, assuring that the affected road was opened yesterday for members of the public.

However, the Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has lamented that humanitarian responses were inadequate, as about two million people continue to be displaced by violence daily in Northeast.

Its Country Head of Missions, Luis Eguiluz, said emergencies in the region was far from over, as displaced persons struggle to find food, water or shelter to survive in internally displaced persons (IDPs) camps.

She disclosed this in a statement issued yesterday in Maiduguri by the MSF Field Communication Manager, Natacha Buhler.

Eguiluz said the IDPs were confined to camps with extreme limited prospects and dependent on aid to survive, adding that in spite of people’s dependence on aid in IDPs camps and host communities; food is not enough to go around.

Meanwhile, the United Nations (UN) Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Edward Kallon, yesterday expressed concern over rising violence in the country’s Northeast, forcing thousands of innocent civilians to flee their homes.

The organisation explained that clashes on December 26, 2018 between Nigerian government forces and non-state armed groups in Baga town, on the shores of Lake Chad, triggered massive displacements, with most women, men and children converging on already congested IDPs camps in Maiduguri and Monguno town.

According to the UN, subsequent attempted attack in Monguno on December 28, 2018 also exacerbated the situation, generating further displacements amid the uncertainty caused by the clashes.