February 10, (THEWILL) – Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State is confident that the challenges posed by the Boko Haram insurgency will end within the duration of his tenure which expires in 2023.
The governor stated this after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Thursday.
Governor Zulum said he was at the state House to apprise the President of progress in the surrendering of Boko Haram terrorists, adding that over 30,000 former fighters have now surrendered and are in the custody of the authorities.
He said Borno state government does not offer any incentive to the fighters to come out of the forests; rather, they have done so voluntarily.
Zulum disclosed that he discussed the continuing surrender of the insurgents and the case of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) with the president, even as he said that the security situation in Borno state has improved considerably, hoping that things will continue in that direction.
He reiterated that kinetic measures alone will not end the war and therefore advised that a political solution be applied.
According to him, dealing with the insurgents would not only require kinetic measures but political solutions as well.
The Governor, who declined to give details about the motivating factor behind the willing defections, said he believed adequate intelligence is being garnered from the already surrendered insurgents.
He however expressed hope that with more cooperation from the Federal Government, the insurgency, which has lasted for many years, will end.
Zulum’s comments come a few days after one hundred and four members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and their families surrendered to troops of the Nigerian Army. According to the army, the former ISWAP fighters surrendered their weapons to troops of the 25 Task Force Brigade in Damboa town of Borno State.
A breakdown of the figure shows that 22 of those received by the soldiers are men, 27 of them are women and the remaining 55 are children.
The Director of Defence Media Operations at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja, Major General Bernard Onyeuko, while confirming the development, said troops in the North East have continued to gain successes over the activities of ISWAP fighters in the region.
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