Shettima approves N50m to secure UNIMAID community

GOVERNOR Kashim Shettima of Borno State, on Monday, approved N50 million for the security of the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) community, which had been under siege by Boko Haram since the beginning of this year.

He made the pronouncement when he visited the main campus and assessed different scenes where suicide attacks took place.

The amount, he noted, was to cover the ongoing digging of trenches behind the university, covering about 27 kilometres.

The governor had, two weeks ago, mobilised caterpillars to start the digging of the trenches as a way of responding to previous attacks on soft targets in the institution.

Shettima announced that the N50 million was not only to fund the digging exercise but also to support payment of allowances to special guards drawn from vigilance members, who were to work with the military in policing porous areas behind the institution.

According to the governor, though the university is a federal institution, it was also part of Borno State government’s responsibility to intervene in securing lives.

Borno State Police Commissioner, Damian Chukwu, who accompanied the governor to the scene, gave assurances that daily surveillance would be increased by the police.