Governor of Borno State, Babagana Zulum, has raised serious concerns over the infiltration of Boko Haram collaborators within Nigeria’s political class, armed forces, and communities, vowing to strengthen intelligence networks and deal with saboteurs “ruthlessly.”
Speaking during an interview on News Central’s Breakfast Central on Wednesday, Zulum said, “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.”
The governor called for an end to what he described as “contractocracy” and urged the depoliticisation of security issues, suggesting that with the right approach, the insurgency could be tackled within six months.
Addressing the issue of surrendered Boko Haram fighters, Zulum said that while not all have been fully reformed, the overwhelming majority—over 99%—are no longer engaged in terrorism. “I cannot completely say that 100% of those people who have surrendered are doing the right thing, but… over 99% are doing well,” he stated.
Zulum emphasised that defeating insurgency requires more than just military action. “Insurgency will never be ended by kinetic measures alone. We must ensure that the non-kinetic measures are also properly put in place,” he said, referring to the social, political, and economic dimensions of the crisis.
He acknowledged the efforts of the Nigerian military in supporting peace-building but criticised the lack of equipment and technological capability. “The army doesn’t have the necessary equipment on ground to fight the insurgency,” he noted.
The governor appealed to President Bola Tinubu to pay attention to grassroots intelligence and take counsel from professionals. “The President needs to listen to people who can tell him the right thing. The President should listen to the army,” Zulum added.
He announced plans to immediately establish a forest guard unit as part of the state’s broader counter-insurgency efforts.
