Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno state has recommended the engagement of services of mercenaries in the war against Boko Haram insurgency in the state.
Speaking to a delegation of the federal government led by Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, during a condolence visit on Monday following the killing of 43 farmers at the weekend by Boko Haram terrorists, Zulum also recommended the recruitment of Borno indigenes into the military and paramilitary agencies.
“One of our recommendations as possible solutions to end the insurgency is the immediate recruitment of our youths into military and paramilitary services to complement the efforts of the Nigerian forces,p.
“Our second recommendation is to engage the services of our immediate neighbours, especially the government of Chad, Cameroon and Niger Republic, in clearing the remnants of Boko Haram hiding in the shores of the Lake Chad.
“Our third recommendation is for him to engage the services of the mercenaries to clear the entire Sambisa forest.
“Our fourth recommendation is for him to provide the police and the military, with armed resistant armoured personnel carriers and other related equipment.
“We are also soliciting the support of the federal government to support the Borno state repatriation of out displaced persons currently residing in Cameroon and Niger Republic,” Zulum said.
It would be recalled that the former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration had recruited South African mercenaries in the war against Boko Haram. The President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration on coming on board in 2015 disengaged the services of the mercenary while placing faith in the military to end the war.
