Senator Ali Ndume (Borno South) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intensify efforts to secure the release of over 400 residents of Ngoshe community in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State, abducted last month by suspected members of Jama’atu Ahlis-Sunna Lidda’Awati Wal-Jihad (JAS), a Boko Haram faction. Ndume made the appeal on Monday while speaking with journalists in Maiduguri, Borno State capital. He said the insurgents not only abducted mostly women and children but also destroyed the entire community, including military posts.

Although the Nigerian Army has since recaptured Ngoshe and maintains a presence there, the lawmaker urged the Federal Government to complement the Borno State Government’s efforts in resettling displaced residents currently taking refuge in Pulka. “It is on record that the military has recovered Ngoshe. Those who escaped are now in Pulka, but many are willing to return,” he said.

Ndume described as “appalling” the inability of authorities to meet their constitutional responsibility of protecting lives and property, and called for urgent action to free those still in captivity. He also urged the Federal Government to support the Borno State Government, which has already released N100 million for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Ngoshe. He called on agencies such as the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), and the Ministry of Housing to intervene.

According to him, many residents are ready to return immediately, even if it means living in temporary shelters pending the rebuilding of their homes. Ndume commended the “gallantry and resilience” of the Nigerian Armed Forces despite operational challenges, and reiterated his call for improved support through what he described as TEAM—Training, Equipment, Ammunition, and Motivation. He also urged stronger international collaboration, particularly with the United States, to focus on terrorist strongholds in Sambisa Forest, the Mandara Mountains, and the Lake Chad region. The senator further called on President Tinubu to reinvigorate his earlier declaration of emergency on security, warning that renewed attacks suggest the initial momentum has waned.