Boko Haram Insurgency Can End Nigeria’s Existence – Gov Zulum

Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum has warned that Nigeria’s inability to contain the Boko Haram insurgency is capable of consuming the country and affecting its corporate existence going forward.

This is against the backdrop of Borno State and its contiguous North Eastern states of Adamawa and Yobe have become hotbeds of Boko Haram terrorist activities in the last 14 years.

According to him, the continuous existence of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in Local Government Areas of Borno remains a potential time bomb that could have lasting devastating effects on Nigeria in the comity of nations if the ugly situation is not contained urgently.

Governor Zulum, who spoke when the reconstituted management board of the North-East Development Commission (NEDC) visited at the Borno State Government House in Maiduguri on Monday, said; “The position of Borno State on the map of Nigeria is very important to all of us. Borno State is bordering Chad, Cameroon, and Niger Republic.

“Our borders are so porous and therefore maintaining security in the North-Eastern subregion entails maintaining the security of the entire country. While North-West and North-Central and others are speaking about banditry, kidnapping, and others, ours is Boko Haram and ISWAP. It’s better for us to control it, not for the sake of Borno State.”

Noting that; “The hub of Boko Haram and ISWAP is Borno State. We have to control them”, the Governor further said; “We have to stop the younger ones from being recruited into Boko Haram and ISWAP, otherwise, in the near future, the entire Nigeria will be wiped off the map.”

Governor Zulum, who lamented that the number of people in IDPs’ camps has worsened their plight, said; “And then in Borno State, in the year 2012, about 3.5 million people were displaced. We returned many but still, we have over one million people: internally displaced people living in IDPS camps – that is increasing prostitution in IDP camps, that is increasing procreation without care in the IDP camps. There is drug abuse in the IDP camps.

“And therefore we want the intervention of the North East Development Commission. We want you to partner with the state government for us to close these IDP camps so that people can earn their means of livelihood by themselves.

“Otherwise, many of the people will decide to join ISWAP and Boko Haram. These people who are living in IDP camps are a matter of great concern to all of us. On the assumption of duty, I promised the people of Borno State that I’d close all official camps that are inside Maiduguri Metropolitan Council and we did so with the help of Almighty Allah.

“Now my next agenda is to see how we shall close all the IDP camps that are in the local government areas without which there shall be no peace.”

However, the latest alarm being raised by Governor Zulum is coming on the heels of his assertion that the security situation in the North East State had improved by 85 percent, with further claims that no community was under Boko Haram control.

Emerging from a closed-door meeting  with President Bola Tinubu at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja recently, Zulum informed State House correspondents thus; “Honestly speaking, none of the 27 local government areas of Borno State are under the control of insurgents,”