The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN reports that residents of some border communities in the North East Zone of Nigeria say the insurgency being faced in the area has affected socio-economic activities.

They told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in separate interviews that it would take some time for full economic activities to pick up.

Alhaji Habib Kekeno, the Chairman, Caretaker Committee of Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno, said the continued closure of roads leading to border towns in the state had affected socio-economic activities, especially fishing and trading in livestock.

Kekeno cited Baga town, one of the major fishing centres in the state, as most affected.

“Baga used to be a lively trading centre of 200,000 people where merchants travel to sell cattle, leather goods and fresh produce.

“There are more than 2, 000 fishermen in Baga but they do not have means to transport their commodities to Maiduguri.

“There are fishermen who stock about N4 million worth of fish but do not have the means to bring them into Maiduguri.

“Baga is the largest producer of fish in Sub-Saharan Africa. Its fishermen come from Niger, Chad, Cameroon and some other countries,” Kekeno said.

NAN report that roads leading to border towns in Borno were closed following attacks by insurgents.

However, Gov. Kashim Shettima of Borno disclosed during a courtesy call on him by Alhaji Muhammadu Dan-dano, Governor of Difa Province in Niger Republic, that the Nigeria-Niger border roads would be re-opened by the military to reactivate socio-economic activities.

Shettima said that apart from resuscitating socio-economic activities, reopening the roads would facilitate the repatriation of about 85,000 Internally Displaced Persona (IDPs) from Borno taking refuge in different parts of Niger Republic.

“I will meet the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj-Gen.Lucky Irabor, and discuss with him, the possibility of reopening the closed roads that lead to Niger Republic,” he said.

Residents of border towns in Adamawa are also lamenting the adverse effects of insurgency on socio-economic activities in their respective communities.

NAN reports that local governments worst affected by insurgency in Adamawa are border councils known for commercial activities.

A cross section of businessmen from the affected areas–Mubi North, Mubi South, Maiha and Michika– said socio-economic activities were yet to pick up as expected.

” If you remove Mubi town where things can be said to have fully normalised, the rest are still grappling with security challenges,’’ said Sallau Ibrahim, a dealer in grains

Umar Belel from Maiha Local Government Area also said that business activities were yet to pick up as a result of the insurgency experienced in the area

“We are relating well with our brothers in neighboring Cameroon and have resumed farming activities, but business activities are yet to pick up,’’ he said.

However, Alhaji Abdulkadir Musa, Chairman of Mubi Chambers of Commerce, said business activities in the commercial border town had picked up fully.

According to him, the town is now more populated, adding that trading activities with people from neighboring Cameroun had also increased.

Also commenting on the issue, the member representing Mubi South Constituency in Adamawa House of Assembly, Alhaji Abdulrahman Abubakar, lauded government for securing Mubi.

In Jigawa, a resident of Maigatari border town in the state, Alhaji Abubakar Umar, also told NAN that one could hardly distinguish between his kinsmen and the people of neighbouring Niger Republic as they share the same culture.

He further said that they engage in economic activities with each other, particularly farming.

Alhaji Yusuf Muhammad, Assistant Comptroller in charge of Border Patrol at the Jigawa command of the Nigeria Immigration Service, also told NAN that the relationship between the border communities was extremely cordial.

NAN