Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, has singled out people of Borno and Yobe States as major culprits for terrorism in the Northeast.
The CDS made the allegations Wednesday while speaking to journalists upon arrival in Borno State following multiple bombings in the state days earlier.
Responding to questions on why terrorism festers in the region, General Oluyede said the people of Borno and Yobe States must take ownership of the problem to end the menace.
According to him, the bulk of people perpetuating terrorism in the region are from Borno and Yobe States.
“There has been an upsurge in attacks in the Northeast within the last month. It is not something that is new because it comes most times with Ramadan. But we are here today to ensure that in the future this won’t repeat itself. I must say something that is very important: for us to end this act of terrorism, the people of Borno State and Yobe State must take ownership of this problem. Because the bulk of the people perpetrating these heinous acts are from these states, they are our brothers and sisters.”
“For example, basically, two of the people who came to attack Kukuwa, the wounded ones, were inside the village; that means the people are complicit. Our people must resolve this; it must come to an end, and we must take ownership of this problem.”
Earlier, Vice President of Nigeria Kasim Shettima visited the victims of the Maiduguri bombings, which police said claimed 23 lives and injured over 100 people.
As a remedial measure, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu directed the service chiefs to move to Borno State.