Insecurity: Northeast Govs Support Engaging Mercenaries

Governors in the Northeast have backed the call on the Federal Government by the Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, to engage mercenaries in the fight against insurgents in the region.

Taraba State Governor, Darius Ishaku, stated this on Tuesday on behalf of his colleagues during a condolence visit to Borno State over the recent killing of some rice farmers in the state.

Ishaku said the governors are in support of the recommendations made by the governor on how to win the war against Boko Haram and Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP) insurgents terrorising the region.

“Our dear brother, we are here to condole you over the killing of farmers by Boko Haram insurgents; we are indeed saddened and traumatised,” Governor Ishaku said.

Read also: Borno: Military Approach Alone Can’t Put A Stop To Insurgency – Zulum

“I will key into your request, which you said that the Federal Government should invite some mercenaries to come and help us out of this problem because what you cannot do, what you cannot solve, I think we should invite who can solve it for us,” he added.

Apart from engaging mercenaries, Governor Zulum proposed the immediate recruitment of youths into the military to boost its strength, as well as the provision of mine resistance armoured personnel carriers and other equipment for the military, police, and other security agencies involved in the insurgency fight.

During Tuesday’s visit, Governor Ishaku said, “We cannot continuously be mourning, there has to be a time to stop the mourning.

“All of us in the Northeast Governors Forum, we are pleading with the Federal Government to find a solution to the issue of Boko Haram.”