The Governor of Borno State, Babagana Zulum, has recommended the recruitment of foreign mercenaries by the federal government to help in ending the Boko Haram war.

The previous Goodluck Jonathan administration utilised foreign mercenaries, including South Africans, against Boko Haram; mainly in the build-up to the 2015 general elections. The mercenaries are believed to have contributed to the successes the military recorded in the few weeks leading to the 2015 general election. The Buhari administration, however, jettisoned the use of mercenaries, promising to equip and empower the Nigerian military to defeat the insurgents.

Mr Zulum made his suggestion when he received a federal government delegation that visited the state to commiserate with the people of Borno over the Saturday killing of 43 farmers by suspected members of Boko Haram.

PREMIUM TIMES reported Saturday’s mass killing of rice farmers in Zabarmari community in Jere Local Government Area of Borno State. The victims were buried on Sunday.

On Monday, the federal government delegation was led by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, who was accompanied by the Chief of Staff to the President, Ibrahim Gambari, the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno and other ministers.

Mr Lawan conveyed the sympathy of the federal government over the killings in Jere even as he reiterated the commitment of the Buhari administration to end the 11 years old insurgency.

But Mr Zulum seemed unimpressed with the depth of the federal government’s commitment towards ending the decade-old war.

The governor, therefore, made six key recommendations to the federal government to resolve the insurgency.

“One of our recommendations as possible solutions to end the insurgency is the immediate recruitment of our youths into military and paramilitary services to complement the efforts of the Nigerian forces,” he said.

“Our second recommendation is to engage the services of our immediate neighbours, especially the government of Chad, Cameroon and Niger Republic, in clearing the remnants of Boko Haram hiding in the shores of the Lake Chad.

“Our third recommendation is for him to engage the services of the mercenaries to clear the entire Sambisa forest.

“Our fourth recommendation is for him to provide the police and the military, with armed resistant armoured personnel carriers and other related equipment.

“We are also soliciting the support of the federal government to support the Borno state repatriation of out displaced persons currently residing in Cameroon and Niger Republic,” he said.

The governor also called on President Buhari to increase federal support for residents of Borno State.

The governor said though the insurgency had dragged on for 11 years, it was persistent because efforts have not been well coordinated. He described Saturday’s killings and many others as avoidable occurrences if adequate support and infrastructure had been provided for the Northeast and military.

The governor said one of the major reasons the insurgency persisted was due to a lack of critical infrastructure like good roads in the region. He said the federal government-owned ministry of works had not constructed or rehabilitated roads in the last 25 years “in Borno State and most parts of the North-east.”

“If the federal can fix the bad roads in Borno and the North-east, the insurgency would be reduced by 60 per cent,” he said.

Earlier the Senate President said his delegation was in the state to commiserate with the people over the gruesome and barbaric killing of the farmers.

He said the president was told that some other farmers in Zabarmari were yet to be accounted for at the time of the visit.

“No efforts will be spared, as the government will do anything and everything until we take the fight against insurgency to their enclaves.

“In this regard, the government will continue to provide resources to our armed forces and other security agencies and also intensify bilateral and multilateral operations with our neighbours, particularly to ensure that the insurgents have nowhere to fight when they are chased out of our country.”

The federal government delegation later paid a visit to the Shehu of Borno, Abubakar Elkanemi, who also called for more support from the federal government.

Governor Zulum later led the delegation to the attacked community in Zabarmari where Mr Lawan and his co-visitors met and sympathised with the bereaved villagers.

seunmsg:
Simply put, Nigeria army can’t win the war against Boko Haram. Sad!

I’m for whatever will bring peace.

“One of our recommendations as possible solutions to end the insurgency is the immediate recruitment of our youths into military and paramilitary services to complement the efforts of the Nigerian forces,” he said.

“Our third recommendation is for him to engage the services of the mercenaries to clear the entire Sambisa forest.

omenka:
It is terrible. I feel they really can but sabotours within who are profiting immensely from the persistent war are making that impossible. They do so by ensuring soldiers dont get their dues, thereby destroying their morale, and also practically financing the terrorists directly.

This war of attrition might eventually consume this country in its entirety because the economic burden wrought by it is too great.

“Our second recommendation is to engage the services of our immediate neighbours, especially the government of Chad, Cameroon and Niger Republic, in clearing the remnants of Boko Haram hiding in the shores of the Lake Chad.

“Our fourth recommendation is for him to provide the police and the military, with armed resistant armoured personnel carriers and other related equipment.

PhiliptheArab:


There are no saboteurs sabotaging the Boko Haram war.

Unconventional warfare is warfare that is not designed to be won, or lost. It is designed to scare and frighten your enemy so that the enemy gives up. It doesn't matter how many Bokoist die, or how many battles the Nigerian army wins, so long as Boko can outlast the NA, they have won.

Or why do you think it took decades for the British Army to fight the IRA in Northern Ireland? And that war did not end on the field...it ended with a peace treaty.
How about the Americans in Afghanistan and before then Vietnam? The Soviets in Afghanistan too? The US and the Soviets lost out both in Vietnam and Afghanistan not because of sabotuers, or because of 'corruption'..they infact won most major battles, but because the Vietnamese revolutionaries and the Afghan muhajideen were ready to outlast them.It didn't matter how many times they lost..they always came back for more and more...and were ready to play by no rules....

That's how guriella war works. IF YOU DON'T LOSE, YOU WIN.'. Right now across the world in countries from the Phillipines to Colombia, there are insurgenices that have been lasting for over 3-4 decades.

That's why beating Boko is going to take a long time. (and why I am reluctant to bash both this current government and the previous one for 'failing' to beat Boko.Doing so in a way is a failure to understand guriella warfare).

The mercs we used last time against Boko came from South Africa. South Africa under Arphateid had probably the best COIN forces battliing freedom fioghters in Angola, Namibia and South Africa. The Rhodesians had the best counter-insurgency unit of the 1970's (the infamous Selous Scouts) fighting ZANLA troops. And despite that...the SA bush war and the Rhodesian bush war were not ended on the battle field.

We beat Boko when they fought conventionally. It is the old methods of 'strike and run' that are more difficult to beat.

omenka:
It is terrible. I feel they really can but sabotours within who are profiting immensely from the persistent war are making that impossible. They do so by ensuring soldiers dont get their dues, thereby destroying their morale, and also practically financing the terrorists directly.

This war of attrition might eventually consume this country in its entirety because the economic burden wrought by it is too great.

ThatFairGuy1:
Saboteurs has always been the clog to the wheel of winning this war of insurgency, this is a means for them to enrich themselves.

Service chiefs shouldn't be listened to, army needs helping hands.

Mercenaries service should be considered, these beasts will never stop untill death hence the only option is to decimate them completely.

For how long will Nigerians be slaughtered while all we get is nonsense talk.

omenka:


https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/428771-governor-zulum-makes-six-recommendations-to-defeat-boko-haram-wants-buhari-to-hire-mercenaries.html

Cc: Mynd44, Lalasticlala.

Moferere:
Jonathan used mercenaries, they said he's clueless.
Are they enjoying the lifeless man they used to substitute Jonathan now?