Many politicians, police are informants to Boko Haram – Gov Zulum

Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, has raised serious concerns over the presence of informants and collaborators aiding insurgents within the Nigerian armed forces, the political class, and local communities.

Speaking during an interview on News Central’s Breakfast Central programme on Wednesday, Governor Zulum revealed, “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 deal with them ruthlessly.”

The governor’s revelation casts fresh light on the internal challenges frustrating Nigeria’s counter-insurgency efforts, and he stressed the need for tighter intelligence operations and internal cleansing to tackle the crisis.

Zulum, a consistent advocate for both kinetic and non-kinetic approaches in addressing insecurity in the North-East, reiterated that military force alone cannot end insurgency.

“Insurgency will never be ended by kinetic measures alone. We must ensure that the non-kinetic measures are properly put in place.

By that I mean social, political, and economic solutions to the crisis. Our ongoing non-kinetic efforts have already produced positive results with the support of the military,” he said.

On the surrender and reintegration of former insurgents, Zulum disclosed that while it is difficult to guarantee full reformation, over 99% of those who have surrendered have abandoned terrorism.

“I cannot completely say that 100% of those people who have surrendered are doing the right thing, but I want to assure you that over 99% are doing well and are not participating in ongoing terrorism,” he said.

He further lamented the inadequacy of equipment for the military in the fight against insurgency.

“The army doesn’t have the necessary equipment on ground to fight the insurgents.”

“The insurgents are using technology to fight the soldiers.”

“A few days ago, the Chief of Army Staff told me he was seeking 32 drones to end insurgency. Each of these drones costs about $5.5 million.”

“Why can’t we pool resources and prioritise this insecurity challenge?”

He also raised concerns about the inefficiency in military procurement processes, suggesting direct government-to-government deals to ensure value for money.

Governor Zulum expressed scepticism over the clamour for state police, advocating instead for forest guards, while calling on President Bola Tinubu to rely on professional military advice.

“I don’t think state police can do better than the forest guard.”

“The forest guard should be deployed immediately.”

“The president needs to listen to those who can tell him the hard truths.”

“We should not politicise insecurity.”

“The president should listen to the army,” he warned.