- Vows To Deal With Saboteurs
By Kolawole Ojebisi
The Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, has revealed why the battle against insurgency in the Northern region has become protracted and difficult to win, alleging that some Nigerian politicians and members of the armed forces are acting as informants and collaborators for Boko Haram terrorists.
Zulum made the revelation on Wednesday during an interview on News Central’s Breakfast Central.
He, however, reaffirmed the state’s determination to bring insurgency to its knees by strengthening its intelligence network, adding that saboteurs will be dealt with “ruthlessly.”
“We have informants and collaborators within the Nigerian armed forces, within the politicians, and within the communities. What we shall do is to strengthen our intelligence and to 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.
Reacting to criticisms trailing rehabilitation of surrendered insurgents, Zulum stated that while not all who surrendered have reformed fully, the overwhelming majority are contributing positively.
“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,” Zulum said
He stressed that military force alone would never bring about a total end to insurgency.
“Insurgency will never be ended by kinetic measures alone. We must ensure that the non-kinetic measures are also properly put in place.
“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.” the governor stated.
He acknowledged that not all 500,000-plus repentant fighters may stay reformed, but believes the system is largely working.
“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,” he said.
He added that the power gradient between the insurgents and the Nigeria Army is steep, alleging that the terrorists have a superior technological advantage.
“The army doesn’t have the necessary equipment on ground to fight the insurgency.”
Meanwhile, the governor lauded the Nigerian military’s courage and resilience in its bid to ensure peace in the Borno and other hotspots of insurgency.
“I want to commend the Nigerian armed forces for the support that they have been rendering to our non-kinetic measures,” Zulum added.
He urged President Bola Tinubu to pay attention to what he called ground-level intelligence and professional advice from the military.
“The forest guard shall be provided immediately. The President of Nigeria needs to listen to those who can differentiate their left from their right.
“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,” he stated.
