Erstwhile Senate Leader, Senator Ali Ndume, has appealed to the Federal Government to include the Northeast in its ongoing joint military operations with the United States (US) in destroying terrorist enclaves in the region.
Senator Ndume, who made this plea on Saturday reference the continued presence of Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in the region.
Speaking in a statement issued in Abuja, Ndume lauded the recent military airstrikes carried out against ISWAP cells in Tangaza Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
Ndume noted that expanding the scope of the joint military operations to the North-East would significantly weaken insurgent groups operating in the region, particularly ISWAP and Boko Haram.
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He said, “We welcome this cooperation between Nigeria and the United States in targeting terrorists’ hideouts. I am calling on them to extend it to the North-East, where ISWAP and Boko Haram have their three known black spots: Lake Chad, Mandara Mountain, and Sambisa, which are exclusive strongholds of ISWAP and Boko Haram.
“I also want to suggest that the military cooperation with the United States should extend to ground troops in training, intelligence, and logistics.
“They should also back it up with attack helicopter support for ground troops.”
He further applauded President Bola Tinubu for allocating what he described as the highest budgetary provision to the defence sector in the proposed 2026 budget, but emphasized the need for accountability and transparency in the utilisation of the funds.
Reacting to the recent suicide bomb attack on a mosque in Gamboru, Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, which reportedly claimed five lives and left many others injured, the lawmaker expressed sympathy for the victims and their families.
“I also sympathise with the bomb blast victims in Borno State, where many people were killed and injured. The incident in the mosque in Gamboru is a clear indication that the terrorists don’t care about religion.
In this instance, on the eve of Christmas, all the victims were Muslims. So, the narrative of Christian genocide doesn’t exist.
“The terrorists making life unbearable for our people are blind to religion,” he stated.
Ndume’s remarks come amid renewed international attention on Nigeria’s security challenges following confirmation by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, that American forces carried out an airstrike targeting suspected terrorist elements in Nigeria.
