TheCable

Ali Ndume, senator representing Borno south, says he feels safer in Maiduguri, the Borno capital, than in the federal capital territory (FCT).

There have been several incidents of attacks on residents in the FCT in recent times.

Speaking when he featured in an interview on Channels Television on Thursday, Ndume expressed concern over the security challenges in the FCT.

The Borno senator also noted that insurgents are not operating within Maiduguri, but outside the state capital.

“You know I live in Abuja and also live in Maiduguri. Once I come to Maiduguri, I feel safer than Abuja, because somebody can knock at your door, knock down your door with a gun,” he said.

“In Maiduguri, I don’t think I have completely heard of that. It is outside Maiduguri, where the insurgents are marauding around and they attack intermittently.

“And that is normal with insurgents; that is why they are even called insurgents. They do hit and run. Look at soft targets, that is where we found ourselves now.”

‘BUHARI IS NOT SICK — HE WENT ROUND BORNO FOR 6 HOURS’

Commenting on President Muhammadu Buhari’s trip to Borno on Thursday, Ndume noted that the visit to the state has shown that comments on the president being sick are not true.

He noted that the president’s visit to Lagos and Maiduguri, and the recent interviews gave hope to Nigerians.

“The president has given hope to Nigerians. First, by speaking out. Second, by visiting Lagos and coming to Maiduguri,” he said.

“Let me add, the president went round for six hours. He came in by 10am and was going round to various projects until 4pm, before he left.

“For those people who are saying the president is sick and all that, we went through the four corners of Maiduguri.

“We took six hours going round and that is very encouraging. From the interview he did with Arise TV, from the visit that he had to Lagos, for now the opposition will go back and sit down to look at what else they are going to say.”