Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum has alleged that some politicians and members of the armed forces act as informants for Boko Haram insurgents. He recently revealed that the Nigerian Army lacks the requisite equipment to fight terrorists.
Speaking during an interview on News Central’s Breakfast programme, Zulum revealed that if dirty politics was not at play, Boko Haram could actually be wiped out in six months.
Announcing that some bad politicians and military personnel have decided to politicise terrorism, he stated that Borno State will strengthen its intelligence network to deal with all kinds of terrorists ruthlessly.
“We have informants and collaborators within the Nigerian armed forces, among politicians, and within the communities. What we shall do is strengthen our intelligence and deal with them ruthlessly.
Let’s remove contractocracy. In six months, we can put an end to this madness; we need not politicise insecurity,” he said.
Speaking on the issue of surrendered insurgents, Zulum noted that even though not every one of them has been reformed completely, the overwhelming majority are contributing positively.
He then urged Nigerian politicians to avoid politicising insecurity, reminding the guilty parties that they would be toying with the country’s future in the process.
He also appealed to President Tinubu to listen to the people more, stressing that he has to pay more attention to those who can tell him the right thing.
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“I cannot completely say that 100% of those people who have surrendered are doing the right thing, but I want to assure you that over 99% are doing well and are not participating in the ongoing terrorism.
What I mean by non-kinetic measures is social, political, and economic dimensions of the crisis. Our ongoing non-kinetic measures have yielded positive results with the support of the Nigerian military.
Yes, I believe among the 500,000 or more that have repented, I cannot rule out the possibility of fewer of them going back to the bush.
I want to commend the Nigerian Armed Forces for the support they have been rendering to our non-kinetic measures.
We should not politicise insecurity. The President needs to listen to the people who can tell him the right thing. The President should listen to the Army.
We must prioritise security. National and sub-national governments must pool resources together to procure equipment.
The Army does not have the necessary equipment on ground to fight insurgency. Right now, the insurgents are using drones to fight soldiers on the ground,” he added.
