Governor Babagana Zulum urges Nigerians to stop seeing the insurgency in the north-east as a northern problem.
Zulum said the foreign interests sponsor Boko Haram insurgents to recruit children in the northern part of the country as fighters.
The governor disclosed this at the 17th Chief Gani Fawehinmi annual lecture organised by the Nigerian Bar Association, Ikeja branch on Friday, January 15, 2021.
Zulum said, “I’m from Borno State, and many of our children are into Boko Haram. I’m not denying the fact. But again, they are being sponsored by many people across the world. Among Boko Haram, we have white men, Asians, Africans, Muslims and Christians.”
The governor, therefore, called on Nigerians to stop seeing the insurgency in the north-eastern states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa as a northern problem but a challenge that affects everyone.
“We must stop seeing this insurgency as a problem of the north. The distance between Borno State and Lagos State is about 1,700km, but mind you if Borno State is not peaceful, other parts of the nation will never be peaceful. We have to unite and fight these insurgents. We have seen what happened in Libya, Iraq and other countries. Peace building and social cohesion are very important in strengthening the resilience of our communities.” he said.
Zulum, who also attributed insurgency and banditry in Nigeria to high unemployment rate, poverty, and drug abuse urged Nigerians to shun nepotism, tribalism and the idea of using religion to cause division.
He said there was a need for cooperation by all Nigerians to defeat Boko Haram insurgents.
