The Governor of Borno State, Professor Babagana Zulum, says that the Nigerian government must invest more in security technology in order to combat the resurgence of terrorists in the North East.
Speaking on News Central TV’s “Breakfast Central” programme on Wednesday, Governor Zulum also revealed that there is a significant escalation in insurgency attacks across the state, detailing a recent displacement of approximately 80,000 people from Marte Local Government Area.
He underscored the severity of the situation, confirming that his recent overnight stays in affected communities aimed to bolster local resilience and directly support military efforts.
“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵, 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥,” he stated.
The Governor recounted an executive meeting held two months prior, where traditional rulers, led by the Shehu of Borno, alongside security agencies, confirmed the rising insurgent activity in the state. This critical information, he stated, was promptly reported to the Nigerian government and other security bodies.
“Sequel to this meeting, we have had a series of attacks in Borno State, especially by Boko Haram and ISWAP, dislodging many locations in the state,” Governor Zulum explained.
He highlighted the situation in Marte as particularly concerning, describing it as a local government completely devastated by insurgents. While the community had been successfully resettled four years ago with the support of the Nigerian armed forces, it was tragically “completely dislodged a few days ago.”
The displaced residents of Marte have now relocated to Dikwa, approximately 34 kilometres away. Governor Zulum described the ground situation as “very obnoxious,” noting that “more than 20,000 heads of house were displaced,” translating to roughly 80,000 individuals uprooted. Marte is now the only town standing in the entire local government area.
The Governor further disclosed that New Marte was also recently attacked. To directly assess the situation and support the communities, Governor Zulum confirmed he has spent nights in all three affected locations and is currently in Gara, marking his fourth day in the field.
Explaining his decision to stay overnight in these communities, Governor Zulum emphasised their importance and his dual objectives.
“What I did was not only to strengthen the resilience of the people, but we mobilised our local volunteers who supported the Nigerian military,” he said.
He specifically mentioned moving with “about 1,000 vigilantes to support the Nigerian army,” expressing satisfaction that “the Nigerian army is quite supportive of my efforts.”
Governor Zulum concluded that his efforts were not in vain, serving to both “strengthen the resilience of the community and, secondly, to complement the efforts of the Nigerian army.”
