Residents of Kirawa community in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State have expressed relief and renewed confidence following the establishment of a new military base by the Nigerian Army.
The move comes in the aftermath of several Boko Haram attacks that claimed lives, forced mass displacements, and pushed many residents across the border into Cameroon for safety.
Chairman of the Kirawa Development Association, Mr Yakubu Mabba, confirmed the development in an interview on Thursday. He described the deployment of troops as a major step towards restoring peace and order in the crisis-hit area.
“The Nigerian government has deployed soldiers to Kirawa. This has renewed our confidence to live without fear,” Mabba said.
Residents said the troops arrived in the community on Tuesday evening and had since been engaging with locals to assure them of their commitment to protect lives and property.
A resident, Mr Aji Modu, said the presence of the military had lifted spirits in the community.
“The soldiers arrived on Tuesday evening and promised to stay. We are hopeful this will end the repeated attacks,” he said.
Another villager, Mr Umaru Kirawa, noted that the deployment would help secure Nigeria’s porous border with Cameroon and reduce insurgent infiltration.
Meanwhile, the Senator representing Borno South, Sen. Ali Ndume, commended President Bola Tinubu and the military high command for what he described as a timely intervention.
Ndume, in a statement issued on Thursday, said the swift deployment had averted further destruction and loss of life.
He called on the federal government to make the deployment permanent, citing Kirawa’s strategic location along the Nigeria–Cameroon border, and urged enhanced collaboration between Nigerian and Cameroonian security forces.
The establishment of the military base is part of broader counter-insurgency efforts aimed at stabilising border communities in the North-East region, which has witnessed over a decade of terrorist activities.
