Former Senate Leader, Senator Ali Ndume, has called on President Bola Tinubu to turn his nationwide security emergency declaration into decisive action against insurgency and banditry across Nigeria.
Speaking with journalists in Abuja on Sunday, Ndume, who represents Gwoza Local Government Area in Borno State, made the appeal following recent attacks in Ngoshe community, where Boko Haram fighters, reportedly in collaboration with the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP), killed residents and abducted more than 100 women and children.
During the coordinated assault last Wednesday, insurgents first targeted a military base belonging to the 82 Division Task Force Battalion, before advancing into the town and an Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp.
Ndume said soldiers, the town’s Chief Imam, and several community elders were among the casualties.
“Government should walk its talk on emergency by engaging in coordinated and sustainable attacks on the targets, especially in the North-East,” the senator said.
He urged sustained clearance operations in critical insurgent strongholds, including Lake Chad, Sambisa Forest, and the Mandara Mountains.
Ndume also recommended that the president establish a situation room at the Presidential Villa to monitor operations and provide regular updates to Nigerians on security efforts.
He further suggested setting up Air Component Centres in the three northern geopolitical zones, equipped with attack helicopters to support military operations in high-risk areas.
Despite expressing concern over the timing of military response, Ndume commended the Armed Forces for eventually intervening in the Ngoshe attack.
He reiterated his long-standing call for front loading security budgets to enable faster procurement of arms and equipment, emphasising that current allocations to the Nigerian Army remain inadequate in the face of sophisticated weapons used by terrorist groups.
“If the country cannot immediately purchase attack helicopters, the government should consider leasing military aircraft to support operations in insurgency-prone areas,” he added.
