The Borno State governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum, has pointed an accusing finger at the Military in Baga Town, where his convoy was attacked, saying that if the military will not clear Baga, his government will mobilise local hunters, CJTF, and vigilantes to recapture the town as they cannot fold their hands and keep waiting.
Addressing journalists, Governor Zulum insisted that the presence of troops in Baga in the last two years is a shame and unacceptable.
The governor, who was in the volatile town of Baga on an assessment visit to see how residents will return to their town, had to be whisked into the Federal Anti-Robbery Squad, FSARS, personnel armoured carrier and sneaked out of the town.
Speaking on the Baga attack on his convoy, while in Monguno, Governor Zulum said: “As far as I am concern, what happened in Baga is complete sabotage by the military. There is no Boko Haram in Baga.
“I wondered; we have over 1,181 soldiers in Baga: 72 officers, 107 soldiers, 400 soldiers in Mile 4 and 1900 soldiers in Monguno. I see no reason why only five Boko Haram terrorists stop them from occupying Baga town.”
He noted that “the troops have been in Mile 4 for over one year. There is complete sabotage; the problem is not with President Buhari or General Buratai, but the command and control structure is nothing to write home about. There is a need to look into the command structure.
“We have over 80,000 IDPs in Monguno. They cannot continue to depend on International Non-Governmental Organizations, INGO, and others for food. We have to create an opportunity for them to go back to their communities and continue with their business and farming activities.
“After Sallah, we are going to allow people to go back to Kukawa and we will give time to the military. If they will not clear Baga, we will mobilise our hunters, CJTF, and vigilantes to recapture Baga. We cannot continue like this. People have to take their destiny in their hands.”