Yobe State Governor Ibrahim Gaidam Friday said that over N10 billion has been expended by the state government on “logistics and payments of allowances” to personnel of security agencies and other troops fighting Boko Haram insurgency in the state.
The governor disclosed this at Government House, Damaturu, when the Minister of State for Science and Technology, Dr. Abdul Bulama was distributing relief materials to over 16, 500 displaced persons in the state.
“Since the Boko Haram insurgency in this state, the state government had been expending a monthly allowance of N300 million on logistics and payments of allowances and other needs of security operatives fighting this insurgency and insecurity to lives and property in Yobe.
“This administration has also been paying compensation for structures and houses destroyed by the insurgents as well as handsome financial packages to the families of security operatives in the event of death on injury while on duty.
“The state government has also provide over 200 Hilux patrol vehicles to security operatives and other security agencies fighting the insurgency in the state, lamenting that it is a huge financial burden.
“Considering the huge sum of money expended on maintenance of security, and on victims in comparison with the meager resources that accrue to the state from the federation account, this huge financial burden is a source of great concern,” he said.
Responding, Bulama told the deputy governor that he is leading the federal government delegation to the state to distribute relief materials to internally displaced persons from across the state and by extension, the north-east zone of the country.
He said the president approved N1.5 billion for procurement of relief materials to be distributed to displaced persons in the state, adding that the items have been brought to the state as intervention measure cushion the devastating effects of terrorists’ activities.
Items procured for distribution, according to him, include mattresses, food items, and building materials among others. He said the displaced persons are to be traced and identified before distributing the materials to them.
“These persons are to be provided with intervention measures as apalliative against the attack on them and their communities by Boko Haram,” said Bulama.
Responding, the displaced persons thanked the federal government for the gesture and called on other well to do individuals and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to come to their aid as their living conditions have become pathetic in the last two or three months.
