Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, on Sunday, in Maiduguri explained why he could not afford to remain silent over the continued killings by insurgents in the state.
Zulum stated this while receiving some state governors who were on a solidarity visit to him in Maiduguri, the state capital. The governors on the platform of APC were led by their chairman and the Governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Abubakar Bagudu.
Also, on the entourage was the Governor of Jigawa State, Muhammadu Badaru Abubakar.
Borno State deputy Governor, Umar Usman Kadafur; former governor Kashim Shettima, Senator Muhammad Ali Ndume and a few members of the State Executive Council also attended the meeting.
The governor said he had by the oath he took on May 29, 2019, entered a covenant with God to defend the people of Borno and so could not remain silent while they were being killed.
Gunmen had last week attacked Governor Zulum’s convoy between Maiduguri and Baga, where he had gone to distribute food items to residents living on camps for displaced people.
But while addressing the visiting APC governors, Zulum said, “Our people need to be provided safe access to farmlands so they can earn livelihoods. The military needs to ensure this happens and I will continue to raise this.
“I remain resolute, firm, and committed, only God can give power. I am not after second term, if God allows me to complete this tenure, Alhamdulillah. But for me as a Governor to keep quiet while allowing six million population of Borno State to die, to perish, will never be good for me. It is a covenant between me and Almighty God that I should be truthful to my people.”
Zulum also restated his earlier allegation of a sabotage in the prosecution of the war against insurgency in the northeast, stressing that the President needed to know the truth.
He added, “Let me also re-echo my previous position with respect to the insurgency in Borno State. I have said several times there is no doubt, the gravity of the insurgency cannot be compared with what has happened between 2011 – 2015 and from 2015 to date. The President has done well, but the most important thing is, it’s good also to say the right thing. There is a sabotage in the system that will not allow the insurgency to end. The President has to know this important point.
“When he came to Maiduguri two months ago, I said so because between 2011 to 2015, at a time, almost about 22 LGAs were under the insurgents. Out of the four main roads that lead to Maiduguri, only one was functional. There are changes, the line of demarcation is very distinct and cannot be crossed. But notwithstanding, there is one very important portion that we need to address, why is the insurgency not ending? I repeat, there is a sabotage in the system; therefore, the President need to examine the current security situation in the region with a view to resolving it in a sustainable manner.”