May 25, (THEWILL) – Listening to the Governor of Borno State, Professor Babagana Zulum, speak last Wednesday about politicians, military personnel and members of local communities acting as informants to and collaborators with Boko Haram terrorists was like listening to President Goodluck Jonathan who made exactly the same observations 13 years ago.
Speaking on Breakfast Central, a programme aired on News Central TV on Wednesday, Zulum called for stronger intelligence networks and decisive action against internal saboteurs undermining the country’s security efforts.
“We have informants and collaborators within the Nigerian Armed Forces, within the political class, and within local communities. What we must do is strengthen intelligence gathering and deal with them ruthlessly,” Zulum stated.
He decried what he described as “contractocracy” in Nigeria’s security architecture and urged for a depoliticisation of national security issues, arguing that the insurgency could be ended swiftly if appropriate measures were taken.
“Let’s eliminate contractocracy. In six months, we can put an end to this madness. We must not politicise insecurity,” he lamented. Thirteen years ago, specifically on January 9, 2012, ex-President Jonathan, made a similar accusation.
Speaking a church service in Abuja on Sunday, Jonathan who had declared a state of emergency in the northeast and two other regions of the country on December 31, 2011 as part of the measures to contain a growing insurgency Boko Haram, said, “Some of them (supporters and informants) are in the executive arm of government, some of them are in the parliamentary/legislative arm of government, while some of them are even in the judiciary, Some are also in the armed forces, the police and other security agencies. Some continue to dip their hands and eat with you and you won’t even know the person who will point a gun at you or plant a bomb behind your house.”
Apart from underscoring the depth of insecurity crisis in Nigeria, the lamentations of the Jonathan and Zulum, in spite of the time lag, show in bold relief the involvement of crucial state actors in sustaining and supporting terrorism, obviously for the benefit of their diabolic plans to feast on the dead and keep Nigeria disunited.
When the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS) recently published its 2024 Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey, which showed that Nigerians have paid approximately N2.2 trillion to kidnappers as ransom money between May 2023 and April 2024, it was clear that high stakes criminality such as terrorism, kidnapping and banditry has become an active industry well beyond the ambit of gun-wielding AK47 gangsters often shown on TV as bandits and kidnappers.
Sadly, budgetary allocations on insecurity keep growing disproportionately to allocations for social and economic well-being of Nigerians. Between January and June, 2024, for example, the Federal Government disbursed a total of N1.03tn to boost the fight against insecurity and terrorism.
In the budget implementation report for the first half of 2024 as disclosed by Open Treasury, a website that monitors government spending, the amount represents a disbursement rate of 42.80 per cent from its appropriation of N2.41tn and a balance of N1.38tn.
“Despite this spending, no fewer than 5,801 Nigerians were killed in terrorist attacks, and 4,348 citizens were abducted in the first seven months of 2024.” Within that time frame, Nigeria spent approximately $670 million annually on security votes, which is more than the combined budgets of the Nigerian Army, Air Force, and Navy.
Lamenting this rather organised criminality, Chairman of Senate Committee on Services, Senator Sunday Karimi, said recently that “over 50 per cent of Nigeria’s earnings are being spent on fighting insurgency,” and called on leaders, particularly in conflict-ridden areas, to prioritize solutions to insecurity over political sentiments, adding that the human and financial toll of terrorism, banditry and kidnapping has worsened in inhuman proportions.
As someone who feels the pinch and has oftentimes led soldiers to take the war to the terrorists with near deadly costs, Governor Zulum has called for a multi-dimensional approach to tackling insurgency, stressing that military force alone was insufficient.
According to him, non-kinetic strategies—social, political, and economic—must complement military action.
While commending the military for its role in stabilising the state, Zulum lamented the inadequacy of military equipment, warning that insurgents now wield superior technology on the battlefield.
“We also need to review how we procure military equipment. Let’s go government-to-government. Most contractors won’t deliver what is needed if handed the funds,” he warned, adding that.
“The President must listen to those who can tell him the hard truths. We should stop politicising insecurity and allow the military professionals to do their job.” Nothing can be farther from the truth. Time to act is Now!
