Borno State government on Monday denied reports that some local council areas in the state are still under Boko Haram control.

Governor Kashim Shettima, who reacted to weekend’s claims by a senator that the insurgents are still in control of more than half of the state, told reporters to dismiss the lawmaker’s claim.

He said, “To me, it is unbelievable that such a statement could have emanated from Senator Baba Kaka Bashir Garbai. I can’t believe he said that because as a Senator, he has access to the Chief of Defence Staff, the Chief of Army Staff, the IGP and even the Presidency and he is not the type that even speaks to the media easily. So this is why I am at a lost.

“I have not been able to get in touch with him yet to get his own side, to hear from him what he actually said.

But for now, I suspect he must have been misquoted or if he wasn’t misquoted, he must have spoken based on emotional outburst ‎and not anchored on ground realities.”