Babagana Zulum, governor of Borno State, has asked the Nigerian Army to attack Boko Haram hideouts if it intends to end the insurgency in the North-East.
The region has been plagued by violent extremism since 2009 and the situation has continued to escalate under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Zulum, who has been attacked at least three times by the terrorists in less than a month, also said all heads of military commands must be competent if the war must be won.
He made the comment in Borno on Tuesday while speaking at a conference.
The governor said, “We must also have the courage to tell each other the common truth and be critical of the troops’ operations when things go wrong.
“As part of the ten-point agenda of this administration, the Borno State Government shall sustain its role as a stakeholder in supporting the activities of the Nigerian Army, through the provision of all the needed support and morale-boosting mechanism to all the security agencies to end the fight against Boko Haram crisis.
“In this direction, I wish to ask the Nigerian Army to change the war narratives all together in order to end the crisis.
“Attack, they say, is the best form of defence.
“The Nigerian Army must have to take the war to all the hideouts of Boko Haram.
“You should not wait and give the terrorists an opportunity for the first attack. You should as a matter of policy, embark on critical clearance operation after successful execution of attacks.
“The Nigerian Army must also embark on confidence-building and confidence sharing mechanism with the communities and civil authorities they find themselves, so as to expose the terrorists, their collaborators and sponsors.”
VIDEO: Furious Borno Governor, @ProfZulum, Blasts Nigerian Army Over Attack On Convoy In Baga @HQNigerianArmy
WATCH FULL VIDEO: https://t.co/cxhTWhmNWo pic.twitter.com/MUYleXnAPn— Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) July 31, 2020
He called on Tukur Buratai, Chief of Army Staff, to deploy only commanders loyal and competent to man locations.
“Sir, in appraising the performance of the Nigerian Army, there is a need to look at the critical issues of competence, dedication and doggedness of officers and men of the Nigerian armed forces.
“Let me re-emphasise the need for having competent and dedicated officers to head the military commands; because from my little observation, it is noted that all the locations headed by competent and dedicated officers hardly fall into the hands of the insurgents. Therefore we have to weigh the importance of loyalty and competence, which is very important,” he said.
