Worried by the increase in acts of banditry and other criminalities in the North-East subregion, Nigeria’s Armed Forces have been given the marching order to exterminate the Boko Haram insurgents that failed to voluntarily surrender and put down arms in the subregion.
The marching order was given by the Chairman of the North-East Governors’ Forum (NEGF), Prof Babagana Umara Zulum in his keynote address at the 8th regular meeting of the Forum held in Maiduguri, Borno State on Saturday.
Babagana Umara Zulum who is the Governor of Borno state, commended the Military for the relative peace being enjoyed in the subregion, charging the troops fighting in the subregion to go in full force to smoke out the remnants of the insurgents who refused to surrender from their hideout.
According to him: “Let me use this auspicious occasion to commend our brave military in the fight against the insurgency which remains unquestionable while their determination to succeed is very glaring.”
He further said, “No doubt, they have considered and acted upon a wide range of options in the fight against terrorism, thereby recording tremendous progress which has clearly indicated that the end to the insurgency in the sub-region is fast approaching.”
The NEGF Chairman added, “I want to call on the Nigerian military to reach into the enclaves of the insurgents who are not ready to lay down their arms. We must pursue them to their hideouts in the remote nooks and crannies and neutralise those who refuse to surrender.”
The Governor decried the negative effects of insurgency in the North-East, assuring that efforts to improve the socio-economic activities in the subregion would be slowed down until the terrorists were subdued.
He also called for the Federal Government’s intervention in the North-East following last year’s flood which devastated infrastructure in the subregion.
“I urge us to collectively strategise and develop new adaptable farming methods to mitigate the impact of the low rainfall on crop cultivation this farming season. Therefore, there is the need for us to focus more on irrigation farming this time around more than ever before,” he appealed.
He concluded by saying, “I urge the North-East Development Commission (NEDC) to focus on the support for irrigation farming in the sub-region in addition to its key mandate of providing critical infrastructure for the sustainable development of the sub-region.”
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