By Abiola Olawale
Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State has criticized Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, accusing him of being naive and downplaying the severity of renewed Boko Haram attacks in the state.
Zulum’s remarks follow a deadly landmine explosion on the Maiduguri-Damboa road that reportedly killed eight people.
Speaking with journalists after a security meeting in Maiduguri, Zulum emphasized that the insurgents have intensified attacks and kidnappings, with little resistance from security forces.
He said: “I don’t want to join issues with the Minister of Information. I believe he is naive of what is happening in the country, he doesn’t know what is ongoing in the country. Our discussions during the Security Council meeting were not bad. We just raised an alarm that there is a resurgence of Boko Haram activities in Borno State, and there is a need for the Borno State government, the military, and the paramilitary to work together to avert the looming situation. I think this is very good advice. Nothing has been said again.
“But most importantly, I want to assure you that we have been to Abuja. We met the service chief, especially the CDS, Chief of Army Staff, Naval Staff, as well as Air staff. We received assurances from them that they will do everything possible to control the situation, and we are so happy with the response that we had from the service chiefs. The government of Borno State will continue to partner with the Nigerian military and the federal government with their view to reducing the menace of the insurgency.
“And I want to assure the people of Bono that Inshallah, under my watch Boko Haram will not have the capacity to do what they did before. We shall do everything possible to curtail them. The Government of Borno State will provide more support to the Nigerian Army. We shall strengthen the resilience of our civilian JTF, hunters and vigilantes and most especially, I will live up to the expectations of the people of God by completely addressing the problem of insecurity.
“I believe, when we took over from 2019 to date, there was a very serious gap. What has been happening these days will not be allowed to remain unchanged.”
This is coming after the Minister of Information, in a prior statement dismissed Zulum’s concerns, insisting his comments were meant to highlight progress in the fight against insurgency.
It would be recalled that Zulum’s administration has been vocal about the need for stronger military support and technological interventions to counter Boko Haram’s evolving tactics, such as drone surveillance and landmines.
He urged the federal government to reassess its strategy, warning that Borno risks losing ground to the insurgents without urgent action.
