On Saturday, Governor Babagana Umara Zulum reopened the Gamboru International Cattle Market, which had been down for over 7 years due to the Boko Haram conflict.
The market is situated in Gamboru, a busy border town in Borno Central’s Ngala Local Government Area (LGA).
Gamboru and Cameroon share a border, and there are land connections from Gamboru to N’Djamena, the capital of the Chad Republic.
Due to Boko Haram rebels’ repeated attacks, the market was shut down.
In collaboration with the Chairman of Ngala Local Government Area, Mala Tijjani, and the Commanding Officer of the 3 Battalion, Nigerian Army, Lt. Col. Tolu Adedokun, Zulum, who is now in Ngala LGA for two days of humanitarian work, reopened the market.
The liberation and security of many areas of Borno State allowed for the market to be restored, and the governor expressed appreciation to President Muhammadu Buhari, the Nigerian military, the police, the Department of State Security, and other paramilitary security organizations.
Zulum also voiced his happiness at the market’s reopening, which for many years has improved commerce between Nigeria, Cameroon, and the Republic of Chad.
However, Governor Zulum issued a warning to market participants, including cattle traders, to never encourage or condone criminal groups’ use of the market to undermine security achievements.
Saina Buba, the commissioner for youth empowerment, sports development, and poverty alleviation in Borno, who also serves as the chair of the governor’s cattle management committee, recalled that, prior to its closure, Gamboru Market served as a transit point for the daily export of 500 to 800 herds of cattle to the neighboring nations.
The commissioner stated that thousands of inhabitants of Gamboru and nearby towns received thousands of direct and indirect sources of income from the market.
