MAIDUGURI, May 19 (AGCNewsNet) — Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State has raised a distress alarm over the renewed onslaught by Boko Haram insurgents, declaring that Marte Local Government Area (LGA) has effectively fallen under the control of the terrorist group, save for one remaining community.

Speaking during a visit to Marte on Saturday amid escalating attacks, Zulum said the LGA—comprising over 300 towns and villages—had been reduced to a single habitable settlement.

“Marte Local Government comprises over 300 towns and villages. Now we have only one standing. If we cannot maintain this one, then we will lose the whole local government to the insurgents, which will be very obnoxious, and I think we will not allow this to happen,” Zulum stated.

He urgently appealed to the Federal Government and the Nigerian Army for joint action to protect the last stronghold and prevent a complete takeover.

The governor disclosed that approximately 20,000 residents have fled Marte in the past few days following sustained Boko Haram attacks, seeking refuge in neighboring Dikwa.

“This huge number is a threat, as allowing them to stay in the camp may make most of the younger ones become vulnerable to recruitment by the insurgents,” Zulum warned, highlighting the security risks posed by mass displacement.

Zulum also lamented that residents who had previously been resettled in Marte around four years ago are once again displaced due to renewed terrorist violence.

In response, the Borno State government declared a one-day prayer and fasting initiative to seek divine intervention in curbing insecurity in the state.

Boko Haram insurgents have waged a brutal war in Nigeria’s North-East since 2009, killing and displacing millions. According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the conflict has claimed around 350,000 lives, while Human Rights Watch reports over 2.2 million people displaced—with 1.8 million in Borno State alone.

Additionally, the crisis has forced more than 280,000 Nigerians to seek refuge in neighboring Cameroon, Chad, and Niger, further intensifying regional instability.

Zulum’s appeal underscores the persistent and evolving threat of terrorism in Nigeria’s northeast, despite over a decade of military operations aimed at decimating Boko Haram’s hold.

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Source: People’s Gazzette