Governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima, has dismissed recent claims by senator Baba Kaka Garbai that Boko Haram controls half of the state, declaring the comments as an emotional outburst.

Governor Shettima, who said this on Monday while addressing journalists on a visit to Dalori which was recently attacked by Boko Haram insurgents, added that he was surprised at the comments ascribed to the senator.

“Garbai is not the type that even speaks to the media easily, so this is why I am at a loss. I have not been able to get in touch with him yet to get his own side, to hear from him what he actually said but for now, I suspect he must have been misquoted or if he wasn’t misquoted, he must have spoken based on emotional outburst and not anchored on ground realities, Governor Shettima stated.

“It is either the senator was emotional or misquoted. The military has recorded tremendous successes in the fight against Boko Haram in the last six months. You know Ngala, Dikwa and some areas were recently liberated and as the Chief Security Officer of the state, I can confidently say Boko Haram has been decimated, demoralised and degraded. Borno is better off than it was six months ago,” the governor said.

While praising the military for the successes recorded against the insurgents in the last few months, Shettima urged the people of the state to continue to support military and security agencies with useful information to enhance their counter-insurgency operations.

Garbai, the senator representing Borno Central Senatorial District, had said on Saturday in Dalori while distributing relief materials to victims of a recent insurgency attack that Boko Haram completely controls three local governments in the state and has some dominance in some of the remaining, with the military controlling only three.

“Mobbar, Abadam and Kala Balge are 100 percent occupied by the insurgents. There are some local governments that are partially occupied by the insurgents especially as the local government secretariats have been liberated but their hither-lands are still controlled by the insurgents,” Garbai told reporters.

“From my count, only three local government are fully liberated, 21 local governments partially occupied by insurgents, that is there is still some level of Boko Haram occupation side by side the military or any other constituted authority.”