Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum has alleged internal sabotage in Nigeria’s fight against insurgency, following an attack on his convoy on Wednesday, July 29 in Baga town in Kukuwa Local Government Area of the State, where he went to distribute relief materials. He stated this while speaking to a delegation of the All Progressives Governors’ forum led by Kebbi State Governor, Atiku Bagudu on Sunday, August 2, who paid a solidarity visit to the governor. According to Zulum, “There is sabotage in this operation that didn’t allow the insurgency to end.” He therefore urged President Muhammadu Buhari to re-examine the security situation in the State. The ambush on the governor’s convoy by gunmen occurred in Baga, a town that had been under the control of insurgents until recently the Nigerian military declared its liberation from the control of the Boko Haram terrorist group. The governor had earlier expressed his displeasure at the Nigerian army over the incident, questioning the identity of persons behind the attackers, since the Army had stated that no Nigerian territory was under the control of Boko Haram. This is the second attack on the governor’s convoy within one year. It will be recalled that Governor Zulum’s convoy was attacked at Konduga town in September 2019, while returning from a trip to Bama Local Government Area
Borno State, the epicentre of the Boko Haram insurgency experienced a series of violent incidents in the past week. Shortly after the attack on the governor, on Thursday, July 30, several explosions occurred in some parts of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, in which at least one person was confirmed dead and 16 others injured. Again, the perpetrators of these attacks are unknown, and the Police Command in the State is reported to be conducting investigations to ascertain the cause of the explosions. Less than 24 hours after the explosions, President Buhari in an interview stated that his administration inherited the Boko Haram insurgency and added that “Nigerians know that we have done our best,” with regard to the insecurity plaguing the country. He however, stated that security agencies could do much better in tackling insecurity in the North West and North Central zones. The President’s statement on the efforts of his administration raised heavy criticism from Nigerians. Several Nigerians raise concern that there are interests profiting from Nigeria’s unending Boko Haram insurgency war. Soldiers have accused their commanders of not spending budgeted sums for their welfare. In addition, accusations have been made that internal sabotage has led to a situation where military intelligence for operations are often leaked to the insurgents leading to ambush and killing of soldiers fighting in the war.