Ndume raises alarm over escalating insurgency in Borno

…says 256 attacks recorded in six months

Ali Ndume (APC Senator, Borno South) has expressed deep concern over what he described as the resurgence of insurgency in Borno State, disclosing that 256 attacks were recorded in the State within the past six months.

Speaking during a press briefing with journalists, Ndume lamented the deteriorating security situation, revealing that over 100 soldiers and 238 civilians had been killed in six months, despite efforts by the Nigerian Armed Forces.

“Yesterday, myself and the other two senators from my State, a member of the House of Representatives and His Excellency, the Governor went and had meetings with the CDS, Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Air Staff and even Chief of Naval Staff to discuss the recent escalation or resurgence of the insurgency in Borno State in particular,” he said.

He noted that while the Military had killed over 800 terrorists in the period under review, clashes between rival factions, Boko Haram and ISWAP had resulted in another 500 terrorist casualties.

“As I’m speaking to you now, three of our Local Governments are under Boko Haram siege, Gudumbari, Marte and Abadam. That is the honest truth.

“From 6pm, you cannot go anywhere except in Southern Borno. Even in Southern Borno, in seven out of nine Local Governments, by 6 o’clock, movement stops”, he said.

He described how key roads and Military formations had been lost to insurgents, citing the closure of the Maiduguri-Biu road, which ordinarily takes two hours to travel.

“Their formations have been displaced. Army formations in Wajiriku, Sabongari, Monguno and Ngala have all been displaced,” he said.

Ndume called for urgent intervention, insisting the Armed Forces are overstretched and under-resourced.

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“The total of them is not up to 300,000 for the Armed Forces including the Army, Air Force and the Navy in a country of over 200 million.

“The Police are not up to 400,000. They are not equipped. And the worst of it is they are not paid. Until recently, a fresh recruit in the army is paid N50,000″, he said.

He criticised the Government’s failure to adequately fund and equip the Military, describing it as a national security risk.

“One bullet, if you convert the cost, is about N800. A soldier can dispatch 20 or more at once. Multiply that by the number of soldiers. What we need to do is to place this as national priority or, in fact, declare a state of emergency on security, welfare, and the economy”, he said.

Ndume also expressed outrage at a statement credited to the Minister of Information, who reportedly dismissed claims of insurgency resurgence in Borno State.

“The minister of— I think I should call him the minister of misinformation— came out to say that the governor’s statement that we have resurgence of insurgency or that we are losing some grounds to Boko Haram is not true.

And he has never been to Borno,” Ndume fumed.

“During Buhari’s regime, Lai Mohammed went to Borno more than twice. This new minister has never gone there”, he noted.

He alleged that misinformation from federal officials like the Minister of Information misleads the public and undermines the efforts of those on the frontlines.

“These are the kind of people surrounding Mr. President. This is an example of what I said last time and they came on me, that led to my removal as Chief Whip of the Senate, that there are Karkistocrats in the government”, he added.

Ndume reiterated that security must be treated as a top priority.

“Security is everybody’s business and it’s not a cheap one, especially as it relates to the Nigerian Armed Forces.

“None of their requirements is manufactured locally and therefore they are not purchased in Naira”, he noted.

He concluded with another grim update, “As I’m speaking to you now, Wajiriku has fallen in my Senatorial District. We lost a captain in Isge. The same way we lost a major in Bita. These attacks, 256 of them, happened in six months. And somebody out there called Minister of Information says Nigeria should ignore it. That’s a big disservice to the country.”