- Insurgency worries UN, Netherlands
From Timothy Olanrewaju, Maiduguri
Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima has described Boko Haram as worse than ISIS and Al Shabab terrorist groups.
Meanwhile, the United Nations and the Netherlands have expressed concern over the humanitarian challenges in Borno and other North East states affected by Boko Haram insurgency.
United Nations Under-Secretary on Humanitarian Affairs, Stephen O’Brien and the Netherlands Ambassador to Nigeria, Amb. John Groffen both said Boko Haram insurgency led to hunger, poverty and pushed many school-age children out of school. They spoke yesterday in Maiduguri during a visit to Shettima.
O’Brien said the brutal war in the area led to hunger and some humanitarian challenges. He said he was in Borno in continuation of his visit to Lake Chad area to “assess the humanitarian situation” so as to do risk assessment of the challenge.
“We are dealing with compound effect of what Boko Haram has done,” he said.
He said the humanitarian crisis in the Lake Chad region especially the impact of Boko Haram on the economy of the people and education of children, would be one of the focal points of discussion at the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul, Turkey.
On his part, Groffen also said he was happy to be in Borno, the first visit since assumption of duty in the country.
He said he was in the state to get the story he “can tell the world about the dire situation in Borno.”
Shettima, however, described Boko Haram as worse than other international terror groups. “Boko Haram is worse than other terror groups in the world. It is worse than ISIS, Al Shabab or any group,” he said.