Dare Babalola
Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum has expressed dismay over Boko Haram’s use of drones to attack soldiers, noting that despite prior intelligence on a planned attack in Mafa, troops were unable to prevent the incident.
Governor Zulum revealed this during a visit to Mafa town on Friday, assessing the aftermath of Boko Haram’s attack on Thursday.
The governor, while briefing newsmen, expressed grave concern over Boko Haram’s use of drones, stating it exposes a critical vulnerability in Nigeria’s airspace security.
He said, “Honestly speaking, we have credible intelligence that Mafa will be attacked, and it has been duly circulated to all relevant authorities. I believe there is a need for us to come together, including the state and federal governments, as well as the military high command, to identify the gaps and address them directly.
“I believe there might be sabotage within that has to be identified and addressed. We don’t have to blame each other; we have to come together and resolve this situation,” the governor stated.
Speaking on the drone use, the governor said, “One thing I want to comment on is the issue of drones. This is frightening. In Dikwa, I was told drones were used. The proliferation of drones, particularly in the hands of non-state actors, is of great concern for the entire country. We have to do something to stop the rampant use of armed drones,” Zulum said.
While calling on the Federal Government to conduct an immediate and comprehensive review of the nation’s air safety and defence mechanisms, the governor stressed that the incident is not just a concern for Borno State but a direct threat to national security
“Our borders need to be strengthened and our airspace needs to be strengthened as well. This is something that we need to address urgently; this is not an issue confined to Borno alone. This is the right time for the security architecture to thoroughly look into strengthening the capability of our airspace to curtail the use of armed drones by terrorists,” he said.
While commending the Nigerian Armed Forces, Zulum also urged members of the public to cooperate with security agencies by providing credible information on suspicious activities in their neighbourhoods.
He said, “We are here to commiserate with the victims over what happened yesterday and build the confidence of our people.”
The governor added, “I urge the community to be vigilant and report credible information to the Nigerian Armed Forces. The members of the CJTF should also be resilient enough to complement the effort of the Army.”
