The Senator representing Borno South in the National Assembly, Mohammed Ali Ndume, has called on President Bola Tinubu to hire the services of military contractors to wipe out the remnants of Boko Haram terrorists in Borno State.
Ndume, who hailed the gallant performance of the Nigerian military and Civilian JTF, however, said they were ill-equipped to carry out the task of eliminating the remaining insurgents in the North-East.
He said even the superpower of the world hired military contractors to aid them in their warfare. He listed the United States of America, Russia, the United Kingdom, and France, among others, as countries that often engage the services of military contractors.
The lawmaker noted that the measure would be a temporary one and in the long run, able-bodied Nigerian youths can be drafted to raise the number of military force in the country to at least one million.
Ndume made the call against the backdrop of the killing of six farmers by Boko Haram terrorists in Ngoshe, Gwoza local government area of Borno State and the abduction of five others, including women, on Monday.
He lamented that the farmers, who are the regular victims of the terrorist attacks, were being forced by Boko Haram to abandon their farming harvest at a time when the country was facing a serious food crisis.
“All across the world, governments hire the services of military contractors to engage in certain places. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu can consider this as a short-time measure. These contractors will work with our military and Civilian JTF, who understand the terrain.
“These contractors will come with their equipment and military hardware. In a very short time, they’ll eliminate those Boko Haram terrorists. The contractors can also be used to eliminate those bandits operating in the North-West.
“Over a period, the Federal Government can now recruit youths to join the military and raise the number to at least one million. But in the interim, I think the President should consider this option of hiring military contractors,” Ndume, who is currently away in Benin Republic for an ECOWAS Parliament engagement, said this in a telephone chat with journalists.
LEADERSHIP reports that during the latest attack, the commander of Civilian JTF in the area, Jubril Dada Zarana, was killed by the terrorists. No military personnel died, though they tried without success to repel the attackers.
The fresh attack is coming barely a few weeks after the same terrorists killed many civilians in a bomb blast. Hundreds of other civilians were injured.
