The Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, has charged that some Nigerian politicians and members of the armed forces function as informants and collaborators for Boko Haram insurgents.
Zulum disclosed this on Wednesday during an interview on News Central’s Breakfast Central, where he vowed that the state would strengthen its intelligence network and deal with saboteurs “ruthlessly.”
“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,” he said.
Addressing the issue of surrendered insurgents, Zulum said that although not all of them have completely changed, the vast majority are making constructive 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,” Zulum said.
The governor reaffirmed 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.
He stressed that military force alone would never bring about a total end to insurgency.
He stated, “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.”
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 said.
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.”
Nonetheless, the governor praised the Nigerian military’s contribution to peacebuilding initiatives.
“I want to commend the Nigerian armed forces for the support that they have been rendering to our non-kinetic measures,” Zulum said.
He 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 said.
