Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari secretly plans to visit Maiduguri, the capital of Borno this week, SaharaReporters has learnt.
Borno is the epicentre of insurgency war in Nigeria.
A source in the Presidency told SaharaReporters that the planned visit is deliberately kept a secret because it is believed that the President will attract protests in the troubled state.
Borno and adjoining states have been at the end of incessant deadly attacks by terrorist groups–Boko Haram and the Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP), and many residents have grown frustrated with the Buhari government.
Ahead of his election in 2015, Buhari promised to defeat Boko Haram but six years into his government, that promise has not been fulfilled.
Borno is a stronghold of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which won presidential elections in the state in 2015 and 2019.
"Buhari has a secret plan to visit Maiduguri this week but they don’t want to announce it to prevent a situation whereby protesters in Maiduguri will embarrass him," the source said.
Protesters in February 2020 booed Buhari when he travelled to Maiduguri to "sympathise" with its residents over recent Boko Haram attacks.
