Ajakuta: Borno loses infrastructure worth billions to scavengers — Zulum

Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, says the state has lost metals, electrical materials and public infrastructure worth billions of naira to the activities of metal scavengers, locally known as Ajakuta.

He said the losses, alongside other security concerns, informed the state government’s decision to ban the scrap metal trade.

Zulum disclosed this on Saturday while addressing scrap metal operators, whom he urged to submit proposals on how they could continue their businesses without undermining security or damaging public infrastructure.

The governor said the ban was imposed in the overall interest of the state and was not intended to deprive operators of their livelihoods.

He added that the government had no personal interest in shutting down their businesses, explaining that the restriction was aimed at protecting public assets and strengthening security.

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The governor said, “It is deeply concerning to me if one person loses his livelihood for whatever reason in Borno; believe me, there is nothing I stand to gain from banning scrap metal trade rather than addressing the serious security concerns associated with your activities.”

He added, “We spent more than N3 billion to connect an electricity distribution line from Damaturu to Maiduguri, but unfortunately we lost all the wires to the metal scavenging activities. Before the ban, hundreds of your members were killed in the process of scavenging for metals in the villages that are not yet safe for civilian activities.”

Zulum further said, “We have security intelligence that even the insurgents use your platforms to sell looted metals. So, no responsible government will ignore such intelligence just to be politically correct,” the Governor added.

He also granted the operators a waiver to evacuate scrap metal stocks accumulated before the ban from designated locations, in a move aimed at reducing the impact of the restriction on legitimate businesses.