Ndume urges Tinubu to hire military contractors to combat Boko Haram

Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume, representing Borno South in the National Assembly, has urged President Bola Tinubu to engage military contractors to eliminate the remaining Boko Haram insurgents in Borno State.

While praising the Nigerian military and Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF) for their efforts, Ndume highlighted that they are not adequately equipped to fully eradicate the terrorists in the North-East.

Citing examples from global superpowers like the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, and France, Ndume noted that even these nations have hired military contractors to support their combat missions.

He suggested this could be a temporary measure, allowing the Nigerian military to bolster its numbers by recruiting able-bodied youths, with the goal of raising the country’s military force to at least one million personnel.

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The senator’s call came in the wake of the recent killing of six farmers and the abduction of five others by Boko Haram terrorists in Ngoshe, Gwoza Local Government Area, Borno State.

Ndume expressed concern over the terrorists targeting farmers, who are crucial to the country’s food security, especially during a time of food crisis. He stressed the importance of protecting these farmers and called for swift action to bring an end to the violence.

“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.

Platinumpost 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.