Scavengers stole N3bn power line cables in Borno — Zulum

Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum says metal scavengers carted away all the cables bought for a N3 billion electricity distribution project linking Damaturu in Yobe State to Maiduguri, citing the loss as a key reason for restricting scrap metal trading.

Zulum disclosed this while addressing operators affected by the state’s ban on metal scavenging in Maiduguri, according to a statement issued on Sunday by his Senior Technical Assistant on Print and Digital Communications, Abdulrahman Bundi.

“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,” the governor said.

He added that security intelligence indicated that insurgents were using scrap dealers to sell looted metals, warning that his administration would not allow commercial activities to threaten public safety or critical infrastructure.

“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,” he said.

Zulum also cited the dangers faced by scavengers operating in communities where civilian activities remain unsafe, claiming that hundreds of people had been killed while searching for scrap metals in such areas.

However, he said the restriction was not intended to destroy legitimate businesses or deprive traders of their livelihoods.

“It is deeply concerning to me if one person loses his livelihood for whatever reason in Borno,” he said, adding that the government had no personal interest in banning the trade beyond addressing security concerns.

The ban on metal scavenging dates back to July 10, 2023, when Zulum announced the prohibition across Borno’s 27 local government areas after encountering scrap materials believed to include government property during an inspection in Maiduguri.

The state government had cited the alleged theft of streetlights, communication infrastructure and other public assets as reasons for the restriction.

The latest disclosure has renewed concerns about the vulnerability of electricity infrastructure in the North-East, where attacks on power installations have previously disrupted supplies and delayed restoration efforts.

In September 2021, Borno officials raised concerns over the destruction of high-tension electricity infrastructure supplying Maiduguri and other parts of the state, with attacks leaving the state capital without power for months before repairs were carried out.

Meanwhile, Zulum has signalled a willingness to consider ways of easing the economic impact of the ban on affected traders.

At Saturday’s meeting, he granted operators a waiver to evacuate scrap materials accumulated before the restriction from designated locations and asked them to submit proposals on how they could continue their businesses without contributing to insecurity or infrastructure vandalism.

The intervention followed a reported offer of N200 million in assistance to affected operators and the designation of 72 sites for the evacuation exercise.

The government indicated that it could reconsider the ban if traders presented credible safeguards against vandalism and security breaches.