Borno Governor Babagana Umara Zulum has asked the Federal Government to seek support from the military in neighbouring Chad Republic to help end the insecurity challenge.
Zulum, who spoke about the sorry state of affairs in his state, argued with the way things are, the Nigerian military requires the assistance of others to be able to reverse the current state of insecurity.
He spoke in Maiduguri, the state capital, on Wednesday while receiving a delegation of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), who visited in relation to the latest attack on his convoy, during which many died.
Against this backdrop, Radio Ndarason International’s reporter Hadiza Dawud sought the views of Maiduguri residents.
One welcomed the Governor’s idea and said that if the federal government takes it into consideration, this will boost the morale of the Nigerian soldiers to fight the insurgent.
Fatima Muhammad said that the Chadian soldiers have done well in the fight against Boko Haram and there is a need to invite them again because the Nigerian army cannot do it alone. “The insurgents are everywhere in the Lake Chad region, they are in Chad, Niger and Cameroon, they (Boko Haram) are common enemies, there is a need of collaboration among the Lake Chad states,” she added.
The Governor noted that about 10 million people used to work in the Chad Basin, while about 3 million more used to earn their livings from the Sambisa Grazing Reserve and in the Mandara Mountains, but the insurgents have made these places inaccessible to the people.
Zulum noted over 800,000 people, currently resident in Monguno, are under the age of 20 and idle, thereby making them susceptible to being led astray if nothing is done to engage them positively.
The Governor added Gajiram Local Government has over 300,000 IDPs, all of whom currently lack access to education and employment.
In July this year the Governor warned that insurgent groups are recruiting children in the rural communities in order to expand their dominance.
A security analyst Dr Sadik Dikwa while speaking to our reporter via telephone said that the Multi National Joint Task Force needs to intensify its effort in the fight against Boko Haram.
