By Okechukwu Jombo
The Senator representing Borno South in the National Assembly, Mohammed Ali Ndume has called on President Bola Tinubu to temporarily hire the services of military contractors to wipe out the remnants of Boko Haram terrorists in Borno State.
Senator Ndume, who hailed the gallant performance of the military and Civilian JTF, said they’re ill-equipped to carry out the task of eliminating the remaining insurgents who operate within.
He said it’s time to engage the superpower of the world and hire military contractors to aid them in their warfare. He listed the United States of America, Russia, the United Kingdom, and France, among others, as countries that often engage the services of military contractors.
In the long run, he said able-bodied Nigerian youths can be drafted to raise the number of military men in the country to at least one million.
Ndume lamented that the farmers who are the regular victims of the attacks are being forced by Boko Haram terrorists to abandon their farming harvest at a time when the country is facing a serious food crisis.
“All across the world, governments hire the services of military contractors to engage in certain places. President Bola Tinubu can consider this as a short measure. These contractors will work with our military and Civilian JTF, who understand the terrain.
“These contractors will come with their equipment and military hardware. In a very short time, they’ll eliminate those Boko Haram terrorists. The contractors can also be used to eliminate those bandits operating in the North West.
“Over a period, the Federal Government can now recruit youths to join the military and raise the number to at least one million. But in the interim, I think the President should consider this option of hiring military contractors,” Ndume, who is currently away in Benin Republic for an ECOWAS Parliament engagement, stated this in a telephone conversation.
It would be recalled that Boko Haram terrorists, on Monday in Ngoshe, Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State, launched a fresh attack that resulted in the slaughtering of six farmers and the abduction of five, including women.
During the attack, the Commander of Civilian JTF in the area, Jubril Dada Zarana, was killed by the terrorists. No military personnel died, though they tried without success to repel the attackers.
The fresh attack is coming barely a few weeks after the same terrorists killed many civilians in a bomb blast. Hundreds of other civilians were injured.
Filibus Yakubu, councilor representing Ngoshe ward, Gwoza Local Government Area, in a telephone conversation, told newsmen that the terrorists ambushed the farmers while they were busy with their farming activities. He said security agents (Army and CJTF) “tried their best to protect the people, but they could not hold them for long.