Insecurity: Yobe Lawmakers Flee State To Kano

Top officials of the Yobe State government, including members of the House of Assembly, the cabinet, permanent secretaries, advisers to the governor and All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) leaders have fled the state as the security challenges in the state worsens.
Most of them now operatefromKano State.
LEADERSHIP WEEKEND ran into some of the lawmakers and other officials of the state government in a guest house in Kano, where they have taken refuge.
Some serving and former local government chairmen and ANPP leaders at the grassroots have also relocated from the state, citing worsening insecurity in the state.
The only officials, whose presence has remained visible in Damaturu are Governor Ibrahim Gaidam,  Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Engr. Baba Goni Machina, Head of Service, Alhaji Dauda Yahaya, the Commissioner for Works, Lawan Shettima, Hon. Abdu Mamman Zoto, a lawmaker  and the Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Goni Fika.
Some of the political office holders seen at the guest house included advisers and special assistants to top elected officials in the state.
The officials’ absence is reported to be hindering activities in the state.
Some of the officials, who spoke with LEADERSHIPWEEKEND who did not want their names in print, said they were forced to leave the state for fear of being killed by rampaging gunmen or falling victims of Joint Task Force (JTF) operations in the state.
One of the members of the House of Assembly confirmed that the state officials leaving Damaturu included civil servants, adding that, “the assailants kill anybody they want. They could be elected officials, civil servants, politicians and security agents.
In fact, these are the main targets of attacks and killings.Most of us have lost our houses, cars and other property in the increasing attacks,” he said
Another member of the legislature, who has also fled to Kano with his family, said: “We can’t stay in Yobe any more to work well due to the insurgency and some criminal activities across the state.We have decided to move to another state for the meantime where we can do certain things peacefully.”
A commissioner, who is also hiding at the guest house in Kano with other officials, confirmed that several employees of the state now travel to Kano to get approval for major decisions from their officials.
A former local government area chairman also in Kano, said, “We are going to bring our children here to Kano, where they will continue their studies, no school is functioning in the state. All our primary schools are no longer in operation.”
When contacted, the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Hon. Dala Dogo, said it was not true that public officials now operate from Kano because of the insecurity situation in the state. “Let me tell you that we are still in the state.We are not relocating to Kano.We will remain in our dear state until peace return. There is crisis anywhere. How can we leave our state for another state?Is there no crisis in Kano?”