Civil society organisations (CSOs) in Borno State, northeast Nigeria, have urged the country’s army to restrategise to effectively deal with the insurgency in the state.

The state Chairman of Network of Civil Society Organisations, Amb. Ahmed Shehu, made the call, saying new strategies have become necessary.

Governor Babagana Zulum had in August 2020 disclosed that 300,000 refugees will be repatriated from Cameroon and Niger Republic.

The governor had said that arrangements were being made to return 1.8 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and refugees to 19 communities in the state.

‘There is no denial to the fact that successes have been recorded in recent times’, Shehu said.

‘We urge the Nigerian Armed Forces to restrategies in their approach to countering terrorism and securing the lives [sic] and property of the citizens as enshrined in the constitution’.

Shehu also urged the military and other security agencies to give more attention to major roads in the state due to the rise in cases of rape and kidnapping.

‘We are advising the strengthening of security on all routes linking the (Maiduguri) metropolis to local government areas, towns and villages across the state and the region’, he said.

‘This will guarantee the protection of lives and property and enable the return of socio-economic activities.

‘We equally urge for a development strategy to facilitate transport support to enhance connectivity within communities, linking farms to market and people to sources of employment’.

He further called for a strengthened civil-military relations for community support to aid the fight against insurgency.

Source: Network of Civil Society Organisations

Photo source: Babagana Zulum