Senator representing Borno-South in the 10th National Assembly, Ali Ndume, has urged President Bola Tinubu to engage military contractors to eliminate the remaining Boko Haram insurgents in Borno State.
Ndume, who is currently away in Benin Republic for an ECOWAS Parliament engagement, said this in a telephone chat with newsmen yesterday.
While praising the Nigerian military and Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF) for their efforts, Ndume highlighted that they are not adequately equipped to fully eradicate the terrorists in the North-East region.
Citing examples from global superpowers like the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, and France, Ndume noted that even these nations have hired military contractors to support their combat missions.
He suggested this could be a temporary measure, allowing the Nigerian military to bolster its numbers by recruiting able-bodied youths, with the goal of raising the country’s military force to at least one million personnel.
The senator’s call came in the wake of the recent killing of six farmers and the abduction of five others by Boko Haram terrorists in Ngoshe, Gwoza local government area of the State.
Ndume expressed concern over the terrorists targeting farmers, who are crucial to the country’s food security, especially during a time of food crisis. He stressed the importance of protecting these farmers, urging swift action to bring an end to the violence.
Recall that during the latest attack, the Civilian JTF commander in the area, Jubril Dada Zarana, was killed by the terrorists. No military personnel died, though they tried without success to repel the attackers.
The fresh attack is coming barely a few weeks after the same terrorists killed many civilians in a bomb blast, whereby hundreds of other civilians were injured.
