Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State has said the Islamist group Boko Haram has renewed its attacks and kidnappings in the state with little pushback from security forces, suggesting that authorities in the region are losing ground to the insurgents.
Zulum stated this during a meeting with security forces in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, on Tuesday.
Boko Haram militants and its offshoot, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), have mainly operated in the northeast of Nigeria, attacking security forces and civilians, and killing and displacing tens of thousands of people.
In recent years, Nigeria’s military had managed to push back Boko Haram, while internal clashes with ISWAP further weakened the group.
According to Zulum, Boko Haram has recently increased its attacks, dislodging some military formations in several districts and killing both civilians and security personnel.
“It is a setback in the fragile state of Borno and the North East region,” Zulum said.
The governor added that the renewed Boko Haram attacks and kidnappings in many communities—almost on a daily basis and without confrontation—signal that Borno State is losing ground.
At the time of filing this report, the military had yet to comment on the development.
Meanwhile, the military had previously acknowledged that Boko Haram, which is based in Borno State, has adapted its tactics over time, including the use of drones for surveillance and attacks.
The Nigeria’s task in the northeast has been further complicated by Niger’s withdrawal from the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), which combats armed Islamist groups in the Lake Chad region.
The MNJTF includes soldiers from Nigeria, Chad, and Cameroon.
Zulum urged Nigeria to intensify its efforts in deploying technological warfare to stem the tide of renewed attacks bedeviling parts of Sahelian Borno.
