Army Doesn’t Have Equipment To Fight Insurgents – Gov Zulum

The Governor of Borno State, Babagana Zulum, has disclosed that the Nigerian Army does not have the necessary equipments to fight insurgency ravaging the North East region.

Governor Zulum said insurgent groups in Borno and other North East states have employed the use of technology to commit their crimes.

Naijaonpoint reports that Zulum stated this on Wednesday in an interview with News Central.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Governor disclosed that the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, told him the nation needs 32 drones to fight insurgents.

“The army doesn’t have the necessary equipment on ground to fight the insurgents. And I want to also inform you that right now, the insurgents are using technology to fight the soldiers on ground. A few days ago, I had a meeting with the Chief of Army Staff. The Chief of Army Staff said that he’s looking for about 32 drones. And he will end the insurgency. He’s right. This drone is costing about $5.5 million. Why can’t we put resources so that we shall buy these drones? Let us prioritize insecurity,” he said.

Zulum called for an end to giving contractors funds to buy military equipment.

According to him, most of the contractors fail to supply valuable weapons to fight the insurgents.

“And another issue that we shall look into is the issue of procurement of military equipment, both hardware and software. Let us remove contractocracy in the procurement of the military equipment.

“Otherwise, most of the contractors, I’m not saying all. And once you give them money, they’ll not even buy the equipment. And some of the monies are going into the tortuous bureaucratic melting pots of the ministerial systems,” he stated.

The Borno State Governor said activities of Boko Haram and other insurgent groups can be ended in six months with sincerity.

He warned against the politicization of insecurity. Zulum further urged the federal government to partner with the state government in the fight against insurgents.

“If we want to do right, we can put this together. And this madness will come to an end within the next six months. But the right thing must be done. Federal government and state government must come together. We need to prioritize security. And then we need not to politicize insecurity, which is very important. The federal government has to listen to us. We shall offer our services and advice on how possibly we can move forward,” he added.