BORNO State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, has alleged that metal scavengers looted all the electrical wires purchased for a N3 billion electricity distribution line linking Damaturu, Yobe State, to Maiduguri, a claim that has been strongly challenged by the National Association of Scrap and Waste Dealers Employers of Nigeria (NASWDEN), which has demanded evidence to substantiate the allegation.
News Point Nigeria reports that Zulum said the incident, alongside other security concerns, informed the state government’s decision to ban the scrap metal trade in Borno State. However, NASWDEN has described the allegation as unfair and lacking credible proof, insisting that the government must provide evidence rather than blame an entire industry for the alleged theft.
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The governor’s Senior Technical Assistant on Print and Digital Communications, Abdulrahman Bundi, disclosed in a statement on Sunday that Zulum made the remarks while addressing business operators in Maiduguri on Saturday.
Zulum explained that the ban was initially imposed in the overall interest of the state and was not intended to deprive scrap metal operators of their livelihoods.
He stressed that the government had no personal interest in stopping their businesses, adding that the measure was designed to protect public assets and strengthen security across the state.
“Before the ban, hundreds of your members were killed in the process of scavenging for metals in the villages that are not yet safe for civilian activities,” the governor said.
He added: “It is deeply concerning to me if one person loses his livelihood for whatever reason in Borno; believe me, there is nothing I stand to gain from banning scrap metal trade rather than addressing the serious security concerns associated with your activities.”
Explaining the financial implications of the alleged theft, Zulum recounted: “We spent more than N3 billion to connect an electricity distribution line from Damaturu to Maiduguri, but unfortunately we lost all the wires to the metal scavenging activities.”
The governor further said security agencies had intelligence indicating that terrorists collaborated with scavengers to sell looted metals.
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However, NASWDEN has challenged the governor to provide evidence linking scrap metal scavengers to the alleged theft of electrical cables worth about N3 billion in Borno State.
The association’s Deputy National President, Aminu Hassan Soja, made the demand in a statement on Sunday, insisting that the governor’s claim was unfair and lacked credible proof.
Soja called on the Borno State Government to disclose details of the project allegedly affected by the theft, including the contractor that handled it, when the project was executed, whether the cables were supplied and installed, and when the alleged theft occurred.
He also questioned how the government arrived at its conclusion when scrap metal activities had been prohibited in Borno State for more than three years.
“Governor Zulum must not use scrap dealers as scapegoats to conceal the government’s failures in providing basic social amenities and infrastructure. You cannot accuse an entire industry without presenting credible evidence,” he said.
The association also rejected any attempt to link its members with criminal activities, stressing that NASWDEN is a legitimate body representing law-abiding scrap and waste dealers across the country.
Soja said the association categorically distanced itself from Boko Haram and all forms of terrorism, adding that portraying scrap dealers as criminals without substantiated evidence was unjust.
He warned against what he described as the stigmatisation of legitimate operators in the scrap and waste sector, noting that such allegations could tarnish the image and reputation of innocent business owners.
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NASWDEN called on the Borno State Government to identify and prosecute those responsible if any crime was committed, rather than making what it described as blanket accusations against scrap metal dealers.
The dispute follows the Borno State Government’s allegation that metal scavengers were involved in the theft of electrical cables valued at N3 billion, a claim the association has now strongly disputed while demanding details and credible evidence to establish responsibility for the alleged crime.
