Former Niger State governor, Babangida Aliyu, on Sunday, disclosed how he chased away dreaded Boko Haram leaders, Abubakar Shekau and Abu Qaqa, out of the state.
Aliyu disclosed this while speaking at the 2023 annual public lecture, awards, and election of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations.
The former governor identified budgeting and proper planning as the solutions to the security challenges confronting Nigeria.
Aliyu said, “When I arrived in Niger State, I found a security challenge in the form of nine people who went to a village in Mokwa Local Government, who had multiplied in 2007 to 7,000 people and were involved in armed robbery and abducting women in the area. They constituted themselves into a republic.
“When I took the census, I discovered that more than 60% of the members were not Nigerians. The original Shekau and Abu Qaga were the leaders. I got the support of the late President Musa Yar’Adua to disperse them after compensating them and providing them transport to their destination in Nigeria and the foreigners were taken to their borders.
“That action probably saved Niger State from being the foundation of Boko Haram. As we come to know, they were regularly visiting the River Niger Bridge.”