Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, has raised concerns over the growing technological advantage of insurgents operating in Nigeria’s North, warning that the Nigerian military is being outmatched due to inadequate equipment.
Speaking during an interview on News Central TV’s programme One-on-One with Zulum, the governor revealed that terrorist groups are increasingly deploying sophisticated technology in their attacks, putting security forces at a disadvantage.
“Our soldiers are courageous and willing, but they lack the modern tools needed to match the technological capabilities of the insurgents,” Zulum said.
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He called for stronger collaboration between the federal and state governments to confront the escalating security threats, stressing the urgent need for Nigeria to rethink its approach.
Zulum urged the federal government to make security a top priority by investing in surveillance technology, particularly drones, to strengthen intelligence gathering and strike capabilities in counter-insurgency operations.
Zulum said: “The Army doesn’t have the necessary equipment on ground to fight the insurgents and I want to also inform you that, right now, the insurgents are using technology to fight the soldiers on ground.
“A few days ago, I had a meeting with the Chief of Army Staff and he said he was looking for 32 drones to end the insurgency and he’s right.
“Each drone is costing about $5.5 million, so why can’t we pull resources together to buy these drones and prioritize insecurity?
“Another issue we shall look into is that of procurement of military equipment, both hardware and software. Let’s deal directly, government to government, so that we can get value for money, otherwise most of the contractors won’t buy the equipment if you give them money.
“If we want to do right, we can put ourselves together and this madness will end within six months. Federal and state governments must come together so that we prioritize security, we need not to politicize insecurity, the Federal Government needs to listen to us.”
