The Senate and Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, on Wednesday urged President Bola Tinubu to take urgent measures against the renewed terrorist attacks in the North-East.
Zulum advised the President to rely more on the professional judgment of the military rather than political voices in the fight against Boko Haram insurgents.
The Senate, on its part, called for concerted action against the terrorists and also recommended the establishment of a military base in the Hong Local Government Area of Adamawa State.
Speaking on News Central’s Breakfast Central on Wednesday, Zulum emphasised that the solution to the prolonged insurgency lies in strengthening ground-level military intelligence and avoiding political interference.
“The President needs to listen to the people who can tell him the right thing. The President should listen to the army,” Zulum declared. “We should not politicise insecurity.”
He warned that some politicians and even members of the armed forces were acting as informants and collaborators for the insurgents, further complicating efforts to restore peace.
“We have informants and collaborators within the Nigerian armed forces, politicians, and communities,” he revealed.
“What we shall do is to strengthen our intelligence and deal with them ruthlessly.”
Zulum called for a shift from what he described as “contractocracy” and excessive bureaucracy in security procurement and planning, saying Nigeria could end the insurgency in six months with the right focus.
He also criticised the current state of military equipment, noting that insurgents had gained technological superiority over the Nigerian forces.
“The army doesn’t have the necessary equipment to fight the insurgency. The insurgents have the technology,” Zulum claimed.
Despite this, the governor praised the armed forces for supporting non-kinetic (non-military) measures, which he said are yielding positive results.
“Insurgency will never be ended by kinetic measures alone. We must ensure that the non-kinetic measures are also properly put in place,” he said, citing the importance of addressing the social, political, and economic roots of the crisis.
On the controversial issue of surrendered insurgents, Zulum maintained that the vast majority of repentant fighters have reintegrated positively into society.
