On behalf of the good people and law-abiding citizens of Mirnga District, I write to appeal to the government of Borno State under Governor Babagana Zulum to call the attention of the present Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru, to, in the name of almighty Allah, and as a matter of urgency, reopen Mirnga Market that was shut down by the military for close to three years under the guise that some suspected elements of Boko Haram terrorists do visit the market to shop for their daily needs.
Though we are not in any way disputing the intelligence gathered by the military authority in this regard, I can categorically say that since the beginning of this Boko Haram crisis in the North East, no single Boko Haram fighter was ever seen or arrested in Mirnga town or in the market but our market has remained closed for this unjustified reason.
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Your Excellency sir, as you know Mirnga District is a peaceful community full of people with integrity and positive thoughts as well as willing businessmen and women who are ever ready to struggle to earn money legitimately but this singular action of the military authority has plunged many families into poverty.
Sir, I want you to see reasons to order the reopening of the market because millions of your subjects are continually losing their means of livelihood for this act as you can see many people today cannot afford to take care of their families anymore especially our energetic grain bag loaders known as (Yan’Dako), wheelbarrow pushers, water vendors and many more.
Furthermore, it may interest you to note that Mirnga Market is the central market that connects people from far and near like businessmen from Adamawa, Gombe and Yobe states as well as our neighborhood like Biu, Damboa, Sabon-Gari, Mandaragirau, Gunda, Bumsa, Madlau and Buratai.
In conclusion sir, we are begging you to, in the name of almighty Allah, investigate the rational/motive behind closing our market and order for its reopening as soon as possible.
Musa Salihu Kachallah is an Abuja-based media practitioner
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