Zulum, Shehu of Borno bemoan terrorist attacks escalation in North-East

… as Shehu says nobody lives in Abbadam, Marte, Guzamala LGs

Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, and the Shehu of Borno, Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai El-Kanemi, have raised alarm over the escalating attacks by the insurgents – Boko Haram/ISWAP, urging Federal Government and Security Agencies to take decisive action before the situation goes out of control.

Over the past months, Communities in Borno have suffered relentless assaults with insurgents targeting Villages and Military outposts, particularly in Sabon Gari, Wajiroko and Wulgo, among others.

During an expanded security meeting at Government House in Maiduguri, Governor Zulum urged the Federal Government to prioritise the security of the North-East, particularly Borno State, which shares borders with three neighbouring Countries—Chad, Cameroon, and the Republic of Niger—as well as security concerns in the Sahel region.

“In recent times, Borno State has been witnessing sporadic attacks from Boko Haram insurgents; many military formations were dislodged, such as in Wulgo, Wajiroko and Sabon Gari, among others. It seems we are losing ground.

“Therefore, we want to appeal to the federal government to ensure that the northeastern part of the country receives the desired attention. It seems the focus of the Nigerian Army and the Ministry of Defence is not on the northeast.

“The recent escalation of Boko Haram attacks across the state is a matter of utmost concern. There is an urgent need for aggressive military action and actionable intelligence to counter the insurgency. The recent attacks on Sabongari, Damboa, Wulgo, Baga and Monguno point to the need to up our ante in confronting Boko Haram insurgency decisively and swiftly.

“I call on our armed forces to not only mount checkpoints and guard our towns and villages, I also call on our armed forces to take the battle to the enemy. We should not grant breathing space to the terrorists to regroup, rearm and carry out attacks on our territory. By engaging in relentless patrols, picketing and decapitation missions, our troops should defeat and end the insurgency in time so that our recovery plan will progress without let or hhindrance.

“Borno State government will continue to work closely with the armed forces to execute our development and peacebuilding programmes. We are deeply conscious of the nexus between development, security and peace. Hence, as we invest in critical infrastructure, we are also opening new avenues for our citizens to engage in agriculture and sustainable livelihood.

“All these will not be possible without resourcing and empowering our security agencies to secure our territory and safeguard citizens’ lives and property. My government will continue to support our defence and security agencies while pushing them to perform better when encountering terrorism, insurgency and criminality”, he noted.

Collaborating, Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai El-Kanemi, the Shehu of Borno, expressed concerned of rampaging and daring attacks in the recent weeks, noting that no single civilian living in the three Councils of the State.

“We are worried about recent spite of aattacks, as we speak now no single civilian lives in the three local government areas including Abbadam, Marte and Guzamala respectively. We are concerned that this should not be happening in Nigeria of today’s. We are worried,”Shehu expressed.