Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State has revealed that some politicians and members of the armed forces are informants and collaborators for Boko Haram insurgents.
Zulum stated this on Wednesday when he was guest of News Central’s Breakfast Central, where he vowed that the state would strengthen its intelligence network and deal with saboteurs “ruthlessly.”
He said corruption must be removed, and “in six months, we can put an end to this madness. We need not politicise insecurity.”
The governor agrees that not all who surrendered have reformed fully, but added that the overwhelming majority are contributing positively.
“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 said there was the need to apply both kinetic and non-kinetic strategies in tackling insurgency, adding that military force alone would never end insurgency.
“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 revealed that the military lack equipment and adding that insurgents have a superior technological advantage.
He, however, commended the Nigerian military’s role in supporting peace-building efforts.
“The Nigerian armed forces have been rendering support to our non-kinetic measures,” Zulum said, and urged President Bola Tinubu to pay attention to 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.
