Military presence only cannot defeat insurgents, Gaidam tells FG

As the debate over the extension of emergency rule in the North east rages, Yobe Governor, Ibrahim Gaidam, yesterday, called on the Federal Government to adopt a new approach to tackling insurgency in the country.

Gaidam, in a reaction to the extension being sought by President Jonathan, noted that the current military tactics being employed in the fight against Boko Haram were not yielding the required results.

Gov Ibrahim Gaidam

Gaidam made this position known in a press statement released in Abuja by his Special Adviser on Press Affairs and Information, Abdullah Bego.

“However, ongoing emergency rule has, so far, failed to roll back and contain the disaster that is Boko Haram.

“Only ten days ago, our very young students full of hope for the future at Government Science Technical College, Potiskum, were killed in a very evil and grotesque manner. And there were many others before them in four schools across our state and in communities across the affected States,” Gaidam noted.

The governor was of the view that while the presence of military troops on the ground is absolutely necessary, it is not however sufficient to take the war to the insurgents and to defeat them.

According to him, other vital factors must be taken into consideration by the government if the current extension is to enjoy any success at all.

Gaidam stated that there was absolute need for the nation to provide heavy weaponry and military gear for the military since experience in countries such as Afghanistan and Somalia has shown that terrorists and insurgents could be defeated or forced into hiding through the use of advanced weaponry.

“The governor has said before – and it bears repeating now – that the federal government also needs to adopt or build on an approach that addresses ongoing security challenges from the bottom up.

“That means actively partnering with local communities and community leaders to get them to enrol more actively in the fight to restore peace and security.

“Governor Gaidam believes that the federal government can do this by providing more support to affected and distraught communities than is currently the case. With more support to people who have been displaced or who have lost limbs, livelihoods or loved ones to the criminal activities of the insurgents, it’s more likely that people will participate more actively going forward.