A former Senate Leader, Senator Ali Ndume, has urged the Federal Government to extend its joint military operations with the United States against terrorist hideouts to the North-East, citing the continued presence of Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province in the region.
Ndume made the call in a statement on Saturday.
He further commended the recent military airstrikes carried out by the U.S against ISWAP cells in Tangaza Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
According to Ndume, expanding the scope of the joint military operations to the North-East would significantly weaken insurgent groups operating in the region, particularly ISWAP and Boko Haram.
He said, “We welcome this cooperation between Nigeria and the United States in targeting terrorists’ hideouts. I am calling on them to extend it to the North-East, where ISWAP and Boko Haram have their three known black spots: Lake Chad, Mandara Mountain, and Sambisa, which are exclusive strongholds of ISWAP and Boko Haram.
“I also want to suggest that the military cooperation with the United States should extend to ground troops in training, intelligence, and logistics. They should also back it up with attack helicopter support for ground troops.”
The former Senate Chief Whip commended President Bola Tinubu for allocating “the highest budgetary provision to the defence sector in the proposed 2026 budget.”
He however, stressed the need for accountability and transparency in the utilisation of the funds.
On the recent suicide bomb attack on a mosque in Gamboru, Maiduguri, which NEWSMAXNG reported that claimed five lives and left many others injured, the lawmaker sympathized with the victims and their families.
“I also sympathise with the bomb blast victims in Borno State, where many people were killed and injured. The incident in the mosque in Gamboru is a clear indication that the terrorists don’t care about religion.
“In this instance, on the eve of Christmas, all the victims were Muslims. So, the narrative of Christian genocide doesn’t exist. The terrorists making life unbearable for our people are blind to religion,” he stated.
