FG, military pledge to end terrorism in Northeast
By Tada Jutha, Maiduguri
The Federal Government in collaboration with the military, has pledged to end terrorism, kidnapping, and banditry in the Northeast, as directed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The pledges were made over the weekend during a visit of the Minister of Defence, Abubakar Badaru, and Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, to Governor Babagana Zulum at the Government House, Maiduguri, Borno State.
The minister stated that the FG delegation is complying with the directives of the president to assess the security situation in the state before the deployment of more troops and operational fighting equipment to end the 16-year Boko Haram insurgency in Borno and the region comprising six states.
His words: “Our task is to identify the military needs for personnel and operational modern equipment. The president has given us a clear directive to ensure we provide everything required to stop this dangerous trend, as well as terrorism and kidnapping in the state.
Badaru also expressed concern over the recent development that threatened the gradual return of peace to the state.
The minister attributed the gradual return of peace to Zulum’s leadership in resettling the IDP returnees to the liberated communities with livelihoods.
“I want to assure you we will nip this in the bud to restore the peace that we have recently enjoyed in the state.”
“The President will be receiving a daily update on the security situation, while the military high command will maintain what the minister described as a strategic focus on the counter-terrorism operations in Sambisa Forest and the Lake Chad region.”
He also sought Zulum’s advice on how to improve military operations, as the governor has extensive experience with how Boko Haram terrorists had been operating in the state.
Besides the President’s directives, the minister added, “We’re to engage with you and the state government in seeking your advice and guidance for the Nigerian Armed Forces.”
According to him, the suggestions and insights are crucial in the strategic operational tactics to end the 16-year Boko Haram insurgency that claimed many lives and property.
Governor Zulum thanked the military delegation for the visit, stating that it’s a turning point to overcome the challenges of security in the state.
He noted that the visit of the minister and the chief of defence staff will change the security narratives in not only the state but the entire region.
Zulum stressed the need for resilience and commitment to ensuring that the progress made is not reversed in the insecurity of lives and property.
He urged the minister to target the Boko Haram triangular Tumbus of Sambisa Forest and the Mandara Mountains of Gwoza in the counter-terrorism operations of the military and other security agencies.
The governor also attributed the resurgence of terrorism to the porosity of borders with Niger, Chad, and Cameroon.
He further disclosed that the mountain and the forest comprising seven local government areas in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states continue to remain the hideouts of insurgents.
Zulum noted that the moment the terrorists are flushed out from other forests in the other regions of North-West and North-Central, they, however, return to the Sambisa Forest unchallenged by the military.
He added that this had been ongoing since July 2009, when the Boko Haram terrorists struck under Mohammed Yusuf, their leader before Abubakar Shekau committed suicide in the forest in May 2021.
The FG’s delegation to the state also includes the Chief Defence Staff, representatives of other service chiefs, and the incoming and outgoing theatre commanders at the Maimalari Cantonment, Maiduguri.
