Babagana Zulum, the Governor of Borno State, has raised serious allegations against certain Nigerian politicians and members of the armed forces, claiming they are acting as informants for the Boko Haram insurgent group. Zulum made these disclosures during a recent television interview.

“We have informants and collaborators within the Nigerian armed forces, within the politicians, and within the communities. What we shall do is to strengthen our intelligence and to deal with them ruthlessly,” Zulum stated, highlighting the need for heightened vigilance.

The governor commended the federal government’s initiative to establish forest guards, which he believes could be a transformative step in combating insurgency. However, he emphasized the critical need for these guards to be recruited from local communities, underscoring the importance of local engagement in security efforts. “This is very important; establishing forest guards will be a game changer. But I want to give an early warning that these forest guards should be recruited from the communities within the states,” he asserted.

Zulum also addressed the issue of surrendered insurgents, stating that the overwhelming majority have made positive changes. “I cannot completely say that 100% of those people who have surrendered are doing the right thing, but I want to assure you that over 99% are doing well and are not participating in the ongoing terrorism,” he noted.

The governor reiterated the necessity of employing both kinetic (military) and non-kinetic (development and social) strategies to effectively address the challenges of insurgency. “Insurgency will never be ended by kinetic measures alone. We must ensure that the non-kinetic measures are also properly put in place,” Zulum emphasized.

On April 8, Zulum expressed concern that Borno State was losing ground to terrorists amid a resurgence of attacks on several communities.