‘How Boko Haram Threw Child Into Burning Vehicle’

Ex-military governor of Lagos State, Brig Gen Buba Marwa (retd.), says he was informed that Boko Haram fighters threw a child into a burning vehicle during their attack on Auno, Borno State, two weeks ago.

The hoodlums reportedly burnt to death at least 30 people.

Marwa, who is the Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee for the Elimination of Drug Abuse, said this on Channels TV’s programme Sunrise Daily on Monday.

The ex-Borno State military governor said only persons under the influence of hard drugs could have done that.

He said, “Last week someone in Auno near Maiduguri mentioned to me that there was a woman in one of the buses burnt.

“She threw her child out, so that at least the child would survive, but the insurgents picked up the child and flung him back into the bus.

“What kind of depravity could that be unless somebody was completely out of his senses?

“So this is the root cause of most of our problems, including security, and must be tackled.”

Marwa said raids on terrorist hideouts had shown the insurgency was being fuelled mainly by hard drugs.

According to the retired general, Nigeria will have a lot of problems if it doesn’t tackle drug abuse effectively.

The committee, constituted in December 2018, submitted its report to the President in October 2019.

But the report has not been implemented as it is being reviewed by a second committee chaired by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha.

According to Marwa, the second committee is expected to meet later this week and he will be “surprised” if its implementation does not “start in another month.”

He said, “The drug control scourge in Nigeria, unless it is tackled, we are finished.

“Whether it is Boko Haram, banditry, kidnapping, they (hoodlums) all use drugs.”

Among the recommendations of the committee are the declaration of emergency on drug abuse and the establishment of a new agency – the National Drug Control Commission.

When asked why the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency couldn’t be expanded, Marwa said the agency would be “moved to work in partnership” because it “faces supply reduction”.