The governor of Borno state, Babagana Zulum, has commended the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) in
combating insecurity in the state.
The governor made the commendation on Tuesday when the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar, paid him a courtesy call at the Government House, Maiduguri, the state capital.
Zulum, however, called for more intense airstrikes to eliminate the. terrorists.
He said the Borno state government is fully committed to working in partnership with the NAF and other stakeholders to consolidate the gains that had been achieved and address the gaps that persist in the fight against insurgents.
Zulum said, “Notwithstanding the enormous contribution to the enhancement of peace and security in the state by the NAF, we still need more in terms of air power in the general area of responsibility (AoR), especially in the shores of Lake Chad, Sambisa Forest, Timbuktu Triangle and Mandara Mountains.
“These areas are very difficult to be manned effectively by ground troops alone. We need heavy air power in order to eliminate the insurgents and address insecurity in the general area.
“I wish to assure you that the Borno state government remains fully committed to working in partnership with the NAF and other stakeholders to consolidate the gains we have achieved and address the gaps that persist.
Speaking earlier, Abubakar lauded Zulum’s deradicalisation and reintegration programme for repentant terrorists.
He added that the support of the Borno government was yielding results in the war against insurgents.
“Let me at this juncture join many others that have commended the Borno Model, which is a community-driven non-kinetic strategy developed by the state government to address terrorism and the attendant humanitarian crises in the state.
“Undoubtedly, it has yielded positive results over the years, most evidently the deradicalisation programme.
“The model has been largely successful with the active participation of community-based groups, coupled with its focus on healing and reconciliation rather than punishment, especially for those forced into terrorism,” the Air Force Chief said.