The protracted war against insurgency in Nigeria has taken a disturbing turn, as Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum has accused some Nigerian politicians and military personnel of acting as informants and collaborators for Boko Haram.
Prof. Zulum made this revelation during an interview on News Central’s Breakfast Central on Wednesday. He pledged that the state would bolster its intelligence network and deal “ruthlessly” with those undermining the fight against insurgency.
“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,” Persecondnews quotes him as saying.
Regarding the surrendered insurgents, Zulum noted that while not all have completely reformed, the vast majority are now making positive contributions.
“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.”
The governor restated the need for Nigeria to embrace both kinetic and non-kinetic strategies in tackling insurgency, noting that over 99% of repentant insurgents are no longer involved in terrorism.
According to him, applying 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 also asserted.
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 criticised the lack of equipment for the military and accused insurgents of having a superior technological advantage, saying “The Army doesn’t have the necessary equipment on ground to fight the insurgency.”
The governor, however, commended the Nigerian military’s role in supporting peace-building efforts.
“I want to commend the Nigerian armed forces for the support that they have been rendering to our non-kinetic measures,” Zulum said, urging President Bola Tinubu to pay attention to ground-level intelligence and professional advice from the military.
Zulum declared:“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.”
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