BOGIS Inaugurates Committee to Demarcate Riverbank Boundaries

The Borno Geographic Information Services (BOGIS) has inaugurated a 13-member committee to review and demarcate developments along riverbanks, buffer zones, and other waterways in Maiduguri and its environs.
 
The Executive Secretary of BOGIS, Engr. Adam Bukar Bababe, who inaugurated the committee on Tuesday, emphasised the urgent need to halt unauthorised constructions within these high-risk zones. 
 
He warned that such developments pose significant threats to public safety and property.
 
Bababe revealed that a substantial number of properties erected along waterways lack government titles, rendering them illegal.
 
Since 2020, over 1,300 structures have been identified as unauthorised.
 
In light of the devastating flood incident on September 10th, which resulted in loss of lives and property damage, the government is determined to implement stricter enforcement measures to curb unauthorised developments along waterways.
 
The committee is tasked with reviewing current buffer zones along the River Yedzaram and Ngaddabul, updating them based on current conditions, identifying developments within these zones, and developing detailed plans for executive approval. 
 
The committee is also expected to recommend measures to protect and plan along the rivers.
 
The committee, chaired by Tlp Liman Gana Mustapha, has been given a two-week deadline to complete its assignment and submit its recommendations to the state government for approval.