Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, has issued a warning over the deteriorating security situation in the state, declaring that “the renewed Boko Haram attacks and kidnappings in many communities almost on a daily basis without confrontation signalled that Borno State is losing ground.”
The governor made this remark on Tuesday during a Special Expanded Security Meeting held in Maiduguri.
Present at the high-level meeting were the General Officer Commanding 7 Division, Major General Abubakar Haruna, sector commanders, the Commissioner of Police, other heads of security agencies, as well as traditional leaders including the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Dr. Abubakar Garbai Al-Amin El-Kanemi, and emirs from Bama, Biu, Uba, Askira, and Gwoza. Notably absent were the Shehu of Dikwa and the Emir of Shani.
Governor Zulum lamented recent escalations in attacks, highlighting incidents such as the overrunning of military formations in Wajirko and Sabon Gari (Damboa LGA), Wulgo (Gamboru Ngala), and Izge (Gwoza LGA), alongside the killing of civilians and security personnel.
“It is disheartening to note the recent attacks and dislodgement of military formations… calls for serious concern, and it is a setback in the fragile state of Borno and the North East region,” he said.
While appreciating the continued support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and federal security agencies, the governor emphasized the need for enhanced military capacity through advanced technology. “More efforts have to be put in place through equipping and deploying of technological warfare to the military to stem the tide of all renewed attacks bedevilling parts of the Sahelian Borno which shares international border with three African countries of Chad, Niger and Cameroon,” he stated.
In his contribution, the Shehu of Borno acknowledged the efforts of the armed forces but raised concerns over areas still under militant control. He revealed that Guzamala, Marte, Abadam, and parts of Mobbar local government areas remain without any civil authority due to ongoing insurgent occupation.
The Shehu also appealed to the Federal Government to prioritize the reconstruction of critical road networks, including the Biu-Damboa-Maiduguri, Maiduguri-Dikwa-Ngala, Maiduguri-Monguno-Kukawa, and Biu-Damaturu highways, describing their current state as deplorable and hindering both security and development efforts.
Initially a religious movement, the Bolo haram sect is known for various violence, including bombings, assassinations, and mass abductions. In recent years, Boko Haram split, with a major faction pledging allegiance to the Islamic State and rebranding as ISWAP (Islamic State West Africa Province).