Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno state on Monday released the shocking statistics of deaths and material losses suffered by the state due to the Boko Haram insurgency.

While delivering a paper titled “Managing the Boko Haram Crisis in Borno State, Experiences and Lessons for a Multiparty, Multi-ethnic and Multi-religious Nigeria” at the annual Murtala Mohammed memorial lecture held at the Shehu Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja, Mr. Shettima estimated that about 100,000 persons have been killed and 2 million people have been displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency over the years.

 * IDP Camp

This casualty figure is the highest ever provided by any government official from a state where remote areas which witness attacks by the insurgents are difficult to reach.

According to the governor, “The Boko Haram insurgency has led to deaths of almost 100,000 persons going by the estimates of our community leaders over the years.”

“Two million, one hundred and fourteen thousand (2,114,000) persons have become internally displaced as at December of 2016, with five hundred and thirty seven thousand, eight hundred and fifteen (537,815) in separate camps; 158,201 are at official camps that consists of six centres with two transit camps at Muna and Customs House, both in Maiduguri.

“There are 379,614 IDP’S at 15 satellite camps comprising Ngala, Monguno, Bama, Banki, Pulka, Gwoza, Sabon Gari and other locations in the state. 73,404 persons were forced to become refugees in neighbouring countries with Niger having 11,402 and Cameroon having 62,002.

“We have an official record of 52,311 orphans who are separated and unaccompanied. We have 54,911 widows who have lost their husbands to the insurgency and about 9,012 have returned back to various communities of Ngala, Monguno, Damboa, Gwoza and Dikwa,” the governor said.

Mr. Shettima  also said based on the post-insurgency Recovery and Peace Building Assessment, RPBA, report on the north-east which was jointly validated by the World Bank, the European Union, the Presidency and the six states of the north-east, Boko Haram has inflicted damages to the tune of $9 billion on the region.

He said “of this amount, the destruction in Borno State amounts to $6 billion and they are supported by grim statistics”.