Borno Governor Shettima sets up fact-finding committee on alleged fresh abduction of teenage girls

Governor Kashim Shettima on Tuesday constituted a seven-member fact-finding committee to establish the fact of a reported abduction of some girls last weekend.

The governor asked the committee to submit its report to him in three days.

In the past few days, there had been reports of a fresh abduction of girls in Bam-Buratai, a community in Biu local government area of Borno State, by Boko Haram insurgents during the weekend.

The reports said Boko Haram insurgents carried out a pre-dawn attack on Bam village, killing four persons and abducting many girls.

Bam village is about seven kilometres from Buratai village, the hometown of Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai.

The Special Adviser on Communications and Strategy to Governor Kashim Shettima, Isa Gusau, in a statement said members of the committee were mostly selected from indigenes of Biu local government area where the affected community is located.

Mr. Shettima, who met members of the committee shortly after the committee was set up, said they should deploy every lawful means including interface with their kin in the affected community and surrounding areas with a view to establishing all facts concerning the reported abduction and present findings to him not later than Friday, December 4 for appropriate action.

The committee is chaired by a member of the Borno State House of Assembly, representing Biu, Aliyu Kachalla.

Other members ‎of the committee include: Adama Badawi, secretary, Habib Yusuf, Baba Isa, Usman Buratai, Ibrahim Miringa and Hamma Adama Biu.

Governor Shettima called on citizens to remain calm and go about their normal businesses.

He said the Borno State Government was working very hard to support security agencies and youth volunteers to end the Boko Haram insurgency.