Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, on Monday met with President Muhammadu Buhari over the worsening insecurity in the north-east region of the country.
“It is my responsibility to tell the President the truth,” the governor said while briefing reporters on Tuesday on the outcome of his meet with President Buhari in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
Governor Zulum condemned the growing spate of attacks across the country, particularly in the renewed activities of terrorists in the North East.
According to him, there is a need for greater support from the Presidency to surmount the insurgency crisis that has left thousands killed and millions displaced in the troubled zone.
The governor decried that the military has yet to receive the equipment ordered, noting that this might be responsible for the deteriorating security situation in Nigeria.
His meeting with the President followed renewed attacks by Boko Haram/ Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters on communities in Borno and Yobe States in recent times.
Some of the affected places included Damasak town – where the terrorists attacked a humanitarian hub, and Mainok town where at least seven military personnel were confirmed killed – in Borno.
In Yobe, the insurgents overran Geidam and hoisted their flags there, forcing hundreds of residents, including women and children to flee to neighbouring villages.
The terrorists have also begun to expand their areas of operation from the North East recently as they took over some villages in Niger, a state in the north-central region of the country.
Niger State Governor, Abubakar Bello, confirmed the presence of the insurgents in the state to reporters on Monday.
The visibly worried governor had said, “We have over 3,000 people here from communities that have been displaced by bandits and Boko Haram elements around Munya and Shiroro Local Government Areas.”
“There are some other communities that we think are safe but a vast majority of them (the displaced residents) will have to remain here because their villages and towns have been taken over by the Boko Haram elements; their wives have been forcefully attached to Boko Haram elements,” he added.
