Borno attacks: FG should walk its talks on security emergency — Senator Ndume Restates call for frontloading of military budgets

Amid outrage over last week’s killing of some residents of Ngoshe in Borno State and the abduction of more than one hundred women and children by the terror group, Boko Haram, former Senate Leader, Senator Ali Ndume, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to match his words with action on the declaration of emergency on security.

The senator representing Borno South made the call at the weekend in a statement.
Recall that Boko Haram, in conjunction with the Islamic State–West Africa Province (ISWAP), carried out coordinated attacks last Wednesday in Ngoshe community in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State, where they killed some soldiers, the Chief Imam of the town and some community elders.
According to media reports, the terrorists first attacked a military base belonging to the 82 Division Task Force Battalion before storming the community and an Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp.
Findings revealed that President Tinubu had last November declared a nationwide security emergency and ordered additional recruitment into the Armed Forces.
The former Senate Leader, who incidentally represents the affected community in the Senate, tasked President Tinubu to mandate security forces to carry out consistent clearance operations in areas such as Lake Chad, Sambisa Forest and the Mandara Mountains, which he noted serve as havens for insurgents from where they launch repeated attacks.
He also urged the President to institute regular briefings for Nigerians on efforts to tackle banditry and insurgency across the three northern zones.
He said: “Government should walk its talks on emergency by engaging in coordinated and sustainable attacks on the targets, especially in the North-East. They should carry out consistent clearance operations in Lake Chad, Sambisa Forest and the Mandara Mountains because the recent attacks were well coordinated by the insurgents.
“For example, the Ngoshe massacre was carried out by insurgents from the Mandara Mountains, assisted by others from Sambisa and the Lake Chad axis, using their known routes, including the Mandara Mountains, Lake Chad and Sambisa.
“Since the President has declared a state of emergency, he should have a situation room in his office in the Villa. He should use that to brief Nigerians directly. They want to hear from him from time to time.
“Nigeria also deserves an Air Components Centre in the three geo-political zones in the North, with attack helicopters deployed to the areas.”
He, however, commended the military for their intervention in Ngoshe, “even though it came late.”
The former Senate Chief Whip also restated his call for the frontloading of budgets of security agencies to fast-track the procurement of arms and ammunition. He equally expressed strong reservations about the current budgetary provisions for the military in the face of sophisticated weapons and equipment traced to terrorist groups.
“The Nigerian Army budget is insignificant compared to what is in the overall budget; it is less than 10 per cent, and the Nigerian Army budget should be frontloaded.
“The President should ensure that the Nigerian security agencies’ budgets are frontloaded.
“Even if we cannot purchase attack helicopters immediately, we should consider hiring them for deployment to black-spot areas.”