Borno State Governor, Prof Babagana Zulum, has spent the night in Marte, after the Boko Haram attack on the military base in the town to build confidence, cooperation and resilience of the people.

Zulum appealed to the Federal Government to deploy decisive strategies that would ensure that Marte town does not fall to Boko Haram/ISWAP insurgents.

Zulum, who was actively involved in coordinating security logistics till late in the night on Saturday, undertook a tour to assess the challenges faced in Marte, while also exploring sustainable solutions to foster stability.

Marte was completely deserted following a Boko Haram attack last Friday with thousands taking refuge in Dikwa town. Speaking to journalists in an interview, Zulum emphasised that his visit to Marte was to foster community cooperation, resilience and continuous support to the security agencies.

He said: “Marte was resettled about 4 years ago, but unfortunately, over the last three days, it was ransacked and was displaced again.

“About 20,000 people left Marte for 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.

“Alhamdulillah, we returned to Marte yesterday and spent the night with the support of the Nigerian Army and our volunteers.

The community is now resettled for the second time. Still, my prayers to the federal government of Nigeria and the Nigerian Army are that we do everything possible to keep this town on the ground.”