Unkempt and poor road infrastructure make it easier for Boko Haram insurgents to attack people in Borno State, where numerous abductions and killings of innocent residents occur almost daily.

Public affairs analyst Musa Gambo, who is also the president of the Centre for Advocacy, Transparency and Accountability Initiative,  believes improved road infrastructure could bring down Boko Haram attacks by 45%.

He emphasised the importance of security forces needing to adopt new strategies to fight the insurgents, adding that new ammunitions and machineries should be brought in, as had been done by former president Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration.

Musa said the recent massacre by armed men, believed to be suspected Boko Haram insurgents, in Zabarmari village in Borno State exposed the threats with which residents had to cope. He warned that the whole of Nigeria was under threat.

He said many people had lost jobs – their livelihoods – because of badly maintained roads and highways. Musa said abductions and killings occurred on a daily basis on the road from Maiduguri to Damaturu.

He called on the government to employ the military’s Combined Joint Task Force to scout for Boko Haram insurgents.

Borno State lacked resources to fight these thugs. Musa urged the government to escalate the budgetary allocations to northeastern states and to repair roads and highways. In the 2018 budget at least 5.13 billion naira was set aside for road infrastructure but the government failed to do anything. About 100 million naira was added in the 2020 budget.

Despite reports about the security forces neutralising insurgents and seizing ammunition, communities in Borno State were attacked and abducted every day, said Zanna Bukar.

Hassan Bunu said the insurgents took advantage of the poor infrastructure on the road that leads to and from Maiduguri.

He said the government had to create more job opportunities, especially for young Nigerians, to regain peace in Borno State.