• Boko Haram destroyed water sources in
22 councils, says commissioner<em

BORNO State Police Command yesterday warned residents and villagers against picking strange objects whenever they sight or found them in their environment and communities, as they could be Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), which can cause havoc and deaths.

The warnings were contained in a press statement by police spokesman, Mr. Isuku Victor yesterday in Maiduguri, made available to newsmen.

Meanwhile, the state Commissioner for Water Resources, Dr. Zainab Gimba, has said that all the water sources and community water points in recently reclaimed communities of 22 councils were destroyed by Boko Haram terrorists.

She said returning Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) have no other source of water.

Zainab disclosed this yesterday while launching the distribution of 30 supervisory vehicles to zonal managers of the ministry at the Government House, Maiduguri.

She said almost all the boreholes and other water sources in all the 22 councils under the “capture and control” of Boko Haram were either vandalised or totally destroyed.

Her words: “As people will be going back or returning to their communities; the need for water will become a big problem. It is possible to live without a house or any other thin. But it will always be a big problem to live without water.

The statement from the police reads in part: “The Borno State Police Command wishes to draw the attention of the general public; particularly parents and guardians to warn their children to desist from any strange objects as it may be an explosive device (IED).”

A case in reference, according to Victor, was the incident which occurred at Monguno last year over an explosive ordinance which led to the loss of many lives as well as injuries to many civilians.

“On Friday, January 16, 2016, a staff of Federal Government College Maiduguri found an object believed to be hand grenade. While trying to pry it open with a hammer, the object exploded causing him and his daughter life-threatening injuries,” explained the spokesman yesterday.