Sam Kaye
Governor of Borno, Babagana Zulum has expressed anger and frustration over the renewed attacks in the North East war theatre of Hadin Kai.
The Governor lamented today during an expanded security meeting in Maiduguri that most of the major platforms supporting the war in the North East theatre has been stripped away by the military managers making troops in some areas vulnerable to embarrassing attacks.
Zulum regretted that the stable conditions previously enjoyed in the theatre within the last couple of years are gradually being eroded from the theatre and he is very unhappy about the development.
The Governor however commended the entire security architecture of the state for ensuring that they pin down areas already captured from the hands of the terrorist in the last 16 years.
Zulum however lamented that in the recent times, a lot of forward base formations have been dislodged by terrorists which is why troops are loosing grounds unnecessarily in certain areas.
He said that today’s meeting was an expanded security gathering to decipher the truth from the security stake holders and traditional leaders so we can forward same to Abuja to assist.
“We are here to decipher the truth about the gains made so far in the theatre so that whatever we have gained will not be left to disappear ” he said.
Zulum warned that with the way the traditional fight back power of the north east of the country has been dwindling, the security stake holders cannot afford to allow the region to be abandoned completely.
Allowing the region to deteriorate to him, would mean that a lot of foreign criminal elements would be coming into the state and they cannot allow this loophole to continue.
The Governor described the recent attacks on Borno as a matter of concern to him as the chief security officer of the state adding that the theatre is gradually loosing grounds to the enemy from latest intelligence reports which makes him unhappy.
The Governor called on the military to restore effective check points on every town and village to preempt all these coordinated attacks because this is the only way people who have gone back to their ancestral homes can be protected from these issues.
Zulum regretted that without restoring the previous tight security in the state, his plans of settling all residents before leaving office would really be a mirage.
He however commended the Airforce for dealing decisively with the insurgents even as he urged them to do more.
The Governor regretted that in spite of the ban on the rusty metals in the bush, the smuggling and sale of scrap metals still continues endangering the lives of residents.
He warned residents to stay clear of Ajaokuta as a way of preserving their lives adding that if he allows them to continue with this criminality, they will wilfully sell critical assets from the state without his knowledge.
The Governor posited that to stem the rising tide on Ajaokuta, it is time for security to ensure that public property is protected at all costs to ensure that like high tension wires that were carted away from areas like the lake Chad basin areas in the state.
The Governor warned that no military Commander has the power to approve the carting away of any item from the state adding that the military needs to be more vigilant than they are now about any property in the state meant for the commonwealth of the people.
Zulum noted that the government is not happy with the sudden scarcity of fire power in the theatre stressing that sadly, the north west of the country has taken over most of the vital arsenals which were readily available in the theatre a couple of years back.
Also speaking during the opening session of the meeting in the govt house, the Shehu of Borno Abubakar Elkanemi stated that in spite of the lingering torments of the insurgency, Borno has never been defeated in any war.
The Monarch posited that most of the torments that have befallen his Kingdom in the last 1000 years have been from outsiders yet resisted by the people.
He however charged the military to hurry up and flush out the remaining terrorists from strategic council areas of the Lake Chad including Marte, Guzamala and Abaddan council areas.(www.krestnews.com).