“Telling the truth and accepting the truth has been our major problem in Nigeria. Some people will never tell you the truth when you are in power; and honestly, many of us in power also do not want to hear the truth” – Professor Babagana Zulum, Governor of Borno State, 2021.

Insecurity has been politicised for too long for our own good.

Borno was under the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, when Boko Haram first intruded on our national life. So, the Yar’Adua/Jonathan governments treated it with kid gloves until the kidnap of all the girls in a school in Chibok opened our eyes, as well as those of the world, to the extent of the problem.

The problem has remained intractable till today.

The change from PDP to the All Progressives Congress, APC, in 2015, has actually made the situation worse for everyone in Nigeria.

Buhari relied more on denial, falsehood and propaganda rather than any serious effort to check the menace.

His spokesmen frequently informed us about how Boko Haram had been decimated – invariably contrary to the evidence.

The situation with official reports has not improved much even now.

Meanwhile, it is becoming increasingly clear that insecurity, at least in Borno State, is a lot worse than what Nigerians had been led to believe.

A few reports will help.

‘Boko Haram raids 2 military formations in Borno, kills 5 soldiers, injures 6.’

‘Soldiers flee after Boko Haram raid on Borno base…’

‘How B/Haram killed 90 farmers in Borno in 5 months’ – Recent reports, May, 2025.

There was an attack on May 12, 2025, on the 153 Task Force Battalion in Marte LGA.

During that engagement, insurgents killed and captured Nigerian soldiers, looted the armoury and destroyed what they could not carry away.

Earlier in May, an attack on the 27 Task Force Brigade, located at Buni Yadi, also led to the killing of soldiers and destruction of military assets.

In what might appear like an alliance of forces, Boko Haram and ISWAP forces have been reported by survivors of carrying out joint attacks.

From all indications, it would appear that the area around Lake Chad had been effectively captured by insurgents who have blown up bridges and planted explosives on highways to prevent the Nigerian Army from mounting any counter-offensive at the moment.

ARMY’S RESPONSE NOT REASSURING

“We have no choice but to contain insecurity, but, if we don’t, at some point, we may not have a country to live in” – Chief of Army Staff, General Oluyede.

Apart from stating the obvious, the COAS had made an earlier revelation in which he talked about “fire from the Sahel region [which] will consume Nigeria – if urgent steps are not taken.” Who will or should take the urgent steps was left unsaid.

For that matter, the steps need to be taken were not also mentioned.

But, the Defence Headquarters had declared that the mayhem in Plateau and Benue states are being perpetrated by foreign Fulani herdsmen.

The Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru, had been deflecting widespread perception that insurgents now possess superior fire power than Nigerian forces – in a clear demonstration that those who hold the keys to our ultimate survival don’t want to hear the truth. Several retired officers have pointed out the technological gap.

“We are living in a world of high tech warfare”, said one of them while implying that the Nigerian forces might be lagging behind insurgents – irrespective of whether they are foreigners or home-grown.

One concerning matter that the FG, the armed forces, the National Security Adviser and the National Assembly had ignored is the fate of the 300, 000, or was it 30,000, repentant Boko Haram killers Governor Zulum unilaterally returned to their homes – or so he claimed.

GOV ZULUM CONNECTION IN NEW ASSAULT ON BORNO

“The road to hell is paved with good intentions” – Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Cistercian Abbot in the 12th century. Because Zulum might not want to hear the truth, this article is directed at the officers and entities which can hold him responsible for the total breakdown of security which has occurred in Borno State. The governor has, in the recent past, announced the release of 300,000 (or 30,000) “repentant” Boko Haram terrorists as one of his outstanding achievements in office in the last six years.

Nobody in Nigerian history has ever admitted to undermining the security of the entire nation to that extent before; and, remarkably, neither President Buhari nor President Tinubu had ever addressed the issues raised by this terrifying admission.

Zulum should have been stopped before he had done the damage now unfolding.

From information available to me, he is not a professor on any subject relating to warfare, armed forces strategic studies, insurgents or treatment of captured enemy soldiers or those who surrendered.

Obviously, he had never heard that deception is part of war – symbolised by The Trojan Horse.

He certainly has not read that “every time you negotiate with a terrorist, you become their accomplice” (VANGUARD BOOK OF QUOTATIONS, VBQ, p 244). Perhaps, if he had asked somebody to conduct the slightest research on terror and appeasement, he might have come across a statement by one of the greatest terrorists in history, Adolf Hitler, 1899-1945, who declared, “You don’t fight terror with appeasement; you fight terror with terror.”  

If Zulum had read all those statements, and considered them, he would not have embarked on his mission to unilaterally proclaim 300, 000 (or 30, 000) hardened killers “repentant” – for several reasons.

A battalion consists of up to 1, 000 soldiers.

So, Zulum, in effect, released 300 (or 30) battalions of battle-tested and battle-hardened soldiers into the community; without the slightest assurance that they would not regroup; become informants to their colleagues still in active service; and, above all, actively undermine the efforts of security forces – including vigilantes and military intelligence staff in mufti.

Even if only 15, 000 of those ill-advisedly released by Zulum became turn coats, that still means that 15 battalions of the most dangerous people on earth have been unleashed, not only on Borno State, but on Nigeria as a whole.

Is there any wonder why Borno and adjourning states are on fire?

Zulum calls for fasting to end insecurity – VANGUARD, May 18, 2025

Readers of Sunday VANGUARD, last week, might have read the report on page 5, about Governor Zulum asking for prayers to end insecurity in Borno State in particular and Nigeria in general.

The report would have qualified to receive the Joke of the Year award – if it was not tragic and cynical.

Over 180 million Nigerians, including millions in Borno State, are already starving and badly malnourished, so much so that Nigeria now holds the title for malnourished children in Africa – ahead of war torn Sudan.

Are those walking skeletons and corpses supposed to fast also in order to end the insecurity started and promoted by bigwigs who have weaponised religion for private gain? Why not simply ask them to commit mass suicide like lemmings? 

More to the point, how many of the elite will fast; and what will be the penalty if they don’t?

Where is the proof that fasting will end insecurity?

Where has it ever brought it to an end – when 30 or 300 battalions of hardened criminals have been let loose by the state’s Chief Security Officer?

The call is akin to a man who set his father’s house in the desert on fire and who then asked the community to fast and pray for rain!!! As Queen Victoria would say after listening to some court jesters, “We are not amused.” 

CONSEQUENCES OF ZULUM’S AMNESTY

“Wisdom in people consists in the anticipation of consequences” – Norman Cousins, 1915-1990.

Having helped Boko Haram to plant battalions in every community in Borno State, Professor Zulum, intelligent but not wise, had a message for the FG. ‘Zulum begs FG not to allow Marte fall’ – (VANGUARD, May19, 2025).

One simple question which Zulum must answer is this: What would he expect the repentant Boko Haram hoodlums released to Marte do now that their former colleagues have invaded the place?

Certainly, they would find it difficult not to rejoin them – especially when reports indicate that some soldiers have deserted their duty posts in Marte.

And, they will rejoin with latest information about the security infrastructure mounted to protect the place.

WAY FORWARD – ADVICE TO FG

“Sometimes taking a step backwards might be the best way forward”. 

That was the observation of a US military commander during the Second World War.

President Tinubu, the National Security Adviser, Chiefs of Staff of Army and Air Force, the Inspector General of Police and the Director-General, DSS, should invite Zulum and ask him to do two things.

One, produce the list of the people he granted unilateral amnesty.

Two, locate them; so everybody can verify if they remain repentant.

Chances are, more than half of them would have vanished.

What are they doing now?

Many are probably back in Boko Haram ranks.