Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, has accused some members of the Nigerian military and political class of collaborating with Boko Haram insurgents.
Speaking on News Central’s Breakfast Central on Wednesday, Governor Zulum alleged the presence of informants and sympathizers within the armed forces, political circles, and local communities.
“We have informants and collaborators within the Nigerian armed forces, within the politicians, and within the communities,” he said.
“What we shall do is to strengthen our intelligence and deal with them ruthlessly.”
The governor criticized what he termed “contractocracy” in the country’s security operations, urging that insecurity should not be politicized.
“If we remove contractocracy, we can end this madness in six months.
We don’t need to politicize insecurity,” he added.
Zulum’s remarks come amid renewed attacks by Boko Haram in Borno, a state that has been at the heart of the insurgency for over a decade.
Over the weekend, the governor raised alarm over the deteriorating situation in Marte Local Government Area, stating that only one out of more than 300 towns and villages in the area remains under government control.
“If we cannot protect this remaining one, we risk losing the entire local government to insurgents, which would be disastrous. We must not allow that to happen,” he said.
In response to the growing insecurity, Governor Zulum declared a one-day fast and prayer across the state to seek divine intervention.
According to the United Nations Development Programme, Boko Haram has been responsible for approximately 350,000 deaths.
Human Rights Watch also reports that the conflict has displaced around 2.2 million people in the Northeast, with over 1.8 million from Borno State alone as of July 2022.