The Senator representing Borno Central at the National Assembly, Ahmed Zannah, Saturday said the Boko Haram sect is closing in on Maiduguri gradually.
The senator’s alert came on the backdrop of recent attacks on towns few miles from the Borno state capital.
The senator in his alert to the military, said members of the Boko Haram are using Bama to draw out the Army from Maiduguri so that they can now penetrate the town, which has remained impregnable for some times now.
He revealed that the major fighters of Boko Haram have vacated Bama for their Sambisa forest stronghold and may relaunch a major battle on Maiduguri soon.
Zannah said that Maiduguri remains the ultimate target of the terrorist sect and recent indications showed that the sect is arming for the battle to capture the ancient town.
The sect had recently attacked Gwoza and Bama displacing several residents. Number of residents displaced since January in the Northeastern region of Nigeria might have risen to over 500,000.
Zannah had earlier in the week said Bama has fallen to the terrorists despite the military’s denial.
The senator in a telephone chat yesterday with Thisday said: “As I am speaking to you, Bama has been captured and the insurgents are on the prowl for any male, killing at will.
“Everyone is a target as long as you are male. But for now, women and children are being spared.”
Zannah, who hails from Bama and had been suspected by many for seeming to know too much about the Islamist sect had been accused in the past by former Borno Governor, Ali Modu Sheriff as being a Boko Haram kingpin.
It will be recalled that two years ago, the Joint Task Force (JTF) had announced the arrest of one of the wanted Boko Haram Commander, Shuaibu Mohammed Bama at the private residence of Senator Ahmed Zanna along Damboa road GRA.
