Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, has appealed to the Nigerian Army to reclaim three Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state still under the control of the insurgents.
The Federal Government had been insisting that the deadly insurgent group had been degraded and become incapable of holding any territory.
But Zulum, who made the plea on Monday when he received the Minister of Defence, Major-General Bashir Magashi (rtd) at the Government House in Maiduguri, the state capital, listed the affected local governments as Marte, Kukawa, and Abadam LGAs.
“Military operation has to be followed by stabilisation mechanism and, therefore, three local government areas are really key,” he stated, adding that they must “be retaken”.
The governor said, “We shall be happy if the Nigerian military and other security operatives will develop a modus operandi of re-establishing such businesses to boost the local economy.”
According to a report by Channels TV, the need for the military to incorporate economic recovery and rehabilitation of idle people in towns around the Lake Chad region where the insurgents were still holding sway.
The governor was also worried that keeping thousands of people, especially in camps with no source of livelihood was a ready-made material for Boko Haram insurgents on recruitment missions in villages.
He, however, believes with the military presence and civil authority, the economy of the areas would be rejuvenated, and the Boko Haram menace would be reduced.
On his part, Magashi informed his host that he was in Borno to appraise the operations that would shape future decisions in the counter-insurgency war in the North-East.
He paid the governor a courtesy visit at the State House in company with top officers of the army and the Nigerian Air Force in the state.
The minister had visited the Headquarters of the Air Task Force of Operation Lafia Dole on Sunday and proceeded to Monguno, the Headquarters of Sector 3.
During his visit to the Theatre of Operation which lasted two days, Magashi had a series of interactions with various unit commanders in the presence of the service chiefs who had accompanied him.
The Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Major General Olusegun Adeniyi, conducted the visiting minister and the service chiefs around the Theatre as they assessed equipment and the armoury.
Adeniyi said the fighting troops were resolute and would not be distracted in their goal until the insurgents were defeated.
The minister’s visit came at a time when the activities of the insurgents appear to be thriving around the Lake Chad Basin.
