TheCable

Kayode Fayemi, governor of Ekiti state, says the military is overwhelmed in the handling Nigeria’s security challenges.

Fayemi, who chairs the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), said efforts to tackle insecurity must involve local communities.

He said this on Tuesday when he led some governors on a condolence visit to Babagana Zulum, their Borno state counterpart, over the recent Boko Haram attack in the state.

At the weekend, Boko Haram insurgents struck in Borno, killing more than 40 farmers in a community about 20 kilometres from Maiduguri, the state capital.

A statement from Fayemi’s office quoted him as saying the attack is “by far beyond any imagination”.

“It was a massacre and it was one that none of us could come to terms easily,” the governor said.

“The reality we can all say, and I personally as security scholar, the reality I can see is that our military is overwhelmed. Our military is no longer in a position to single-handedly tackle this menace effectively.

“It is not a criticism of our military, if one were to suggest a coalition beyond that will even include our neighbouring countries, who are probably more experienced in fighting an asymmetrical war. It will not be a loss of our pride as a country.”

The NGF chairman said the governors were in Borno as “an expression of our own frustration”.

“We can’t bring back the people we have lost in the last couple of days, but if we do not take the necessary steps the entire nation will be consumed by this insurgency,” he said.