Senator Ali Ndume, representing Borno South Senatorial District, has raised concerns about the escalating violence, citing 252 attacks and over 300 lives lost in the past six months.
According to Ali Ndume, the situation is rapidly deteriorating, with three local government areas—Gudumbari, Marche, and Abadam—now entirely under Boko Haram control. “The Army is doing their best, but they can’t do it without trained and adequate troops,” Ndume said. “If these things are to be addressed, they must be trained, they must be equipped, they must be armed, and they must be motivated. That’s what I call TEAM.”
The senator described the security situation in Borno as perilous, with severe restrictions on movement due to insurgent activities. “Right now, from 6pm you cannot go anywhere except in Southern Borno,” he said. “Even in Southern Borno, seven local governments out of nine—when it is 6 o’clock, you cannot go anywhere. You cannot even move between one local government and another after 5 o’clock until 8 in the morning—and that is only after the Nigerian Army has scanned the roads manually.”
Ali Ndume commended the Nigerian military’s efforts, noting that they have eliminated over 800 terrorists within the same period. However, he acknowledged that the military is severely overstretched and under-resourced. “The soldiers are not the problem,” Ndume said. “The problem is that they are stretched thin. The total number of personnel in the Armed Forces—including the Army, Air Force, and Navy—is not up to 300,000. That’s not enough to secure a country of over 200 million people.”
The senator called for urgent action from the Federal Government and the international community, stressing that without significant reinforcement, training, and motivation, the situation could spiral further out of control.
Governor Babagana Zulum’s visit to the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, and the Chiefs of Army, Air, and Naval Staff, marks a renewed plea for assistance as the state grapples with one of its most dangerous phases in the long-running insurgency.
