The Borno Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum, has banned a France humanitarian group, Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development (ACTED) for putting youths through shooting training and shut down a hotel for aiding the exercise in Maiduguri, the state capital.
Zulum said that the foreign Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) was found using toy guns and simulators during training exercises within the sealed hotel located within the state.
The governor, who did not mention name of the hotel sealed but disclosed that the hospitality business where the training took place was sited off the Circular Road in Maiduguri.
Zulum, in a statement by his spokesman, Isa Gusau, on Saturday, explained that residents beside the hotel had reported to officials that they heard sounds of gunshots from the hotel, following which government officials reported the matter to GRA Divisional Police Headquarters which oversees the hotel’s location.
According to him, the Nigerian Police, during a visit to the facility found some toy pistols at the hotel while two trainers, both Nigerians, were at the police station with an investigation going on.
The governor, who acknowledges and deeply appreciates the roles of credible foreign NGOs which have been providing critical humanitarian interventions in different parts of Borno, assured them of the government’s continued cooperation and support while also upholding obedience to prevailing laws, policies, and rules guiding all activities and actions across the state.
