The troops of the Nigerian Army under Operation Lafiyà Dole Wednesday handed over 158 sheep and goats, as well as 14 cows recovered from Boko Haram insurgents during a cleaning operation along Maiduguri – Dalwa axis in Kinnduga local government area of Borno state to the state government.
It is expected that the state government will hand over the animals to their real owners.
Handing over the recovered luvestock to the state government at the headquarters of Molai Super Camp, Maiduguri, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, Brigadier General Abdul Ibrahim said:” We are inviting you here to handover 158 sheep and goats and 14 cows recovered by our troops along Maiduguri- Dakwa axis duting operations.
” All these livestock were recovered by our troops during a clearance operations in January 2020. We are handing over these livestock to the Borno state government based on the directives of the Chief of Army staff, Lt General Tukur Buratai and the theater Commander, Major General Olusegun Gabriel Adeniyi, for onward handing over to their rightful owners, ” General Ibrahim said.
The GOC further stated that, “we shall continue to work hard and we would deal with the insurgents and recover from Boko Haram what belong to the law abiding citizens. The government is in better position to contact and hand over these livestock to their rightful owners.”
He also reiterated the military warning to the motorists and commuters plying Maiduguri- Dambia – Biu road not to give money to anybody in disguise and claiming to the army, as the army headquarters has provided them with the needed logistics, as earlier said by the theater commander and reechoed by the COAS.
Responding on behalf of the Borno state government, Governor Babagana Zulum thanked the military for sacrificing their lives to keep the states safe, adding that the government and people of Borno state will forever remain indebted to the military for restoring peace to the northeast.
Governor Zulum, who was represented by the Borno state commissioner for Local Government and Emirate Affairs, Honourable Sugun Mai Mele said: “On behalf of the government and people of Borno state, I received these livestock for onward handing over to their rightful owners.
” This is not the first time we are receiving such from the military, the other time we received over 300 cows recovered from Boko Haram by the military along Maiduguri- Auno-Jakana axis and we invited the leadership of Miyatti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, to identify and ascertain their rightful owners and handed over back their livestock. We are going to apply same in this regard,” the governor said.
He commanded the COAS and Operation Lafiya Dole command for reopening the Maiduguri-Damboa-Biu road. He said it will go in a long way to ease the hardship faced by the people of southern Borno as well as Adanawa and Taraba states.