‘They’re getting international support’ – Gov Zulum raises alarm as Boko Haram, ISWAP regroup

Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, has raised concerns over the resurgence of Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists in the Tumbus areas of Lake Chad and the Mandara Hills within the Sambisa Forest.

Speaking in Maiduguri on Friday during a visit by the Minister of Defence, Badaru Abubakar, the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, and other top military officials, Zulum warned that the terrorist groups are receiving international support. He noted that the insurgents are freely operating in the Lake Chad waterways, with little military effort to dislodge them.

He explained, “Our challenge is that military operations are conducted temporarily, and once the troops withdraw, Boko Haram and ISWAP fighters reoccupy the liberated areas. Since the insurgency began, no consistent operations have been carried out along the Tumbus shores in Lake Chad. This region remains a stronghold for the insurgents where they secure funding and resources.”

Zulum emphasized the urgent need for military operations to target the waterways, noting that insurgents operating across Nigeria’s Northwest, North Central, and Northeast regions often regroup at the Sahel and Lake Chad areas. He warned that porous borders continue to enable terrorist infiltration, posing a significant security threat.

This alarm comes just days after security expert Bulama Bukarti, a senior fellow at the Extremism Policy Unit of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, warned about Boko Haram’s growing presence on social media platforms like TikTok. Additionally, Senator Ali Ndume of Borno South recently disclosed that Boko Haram was responsible for the deaths of around 100 soldiers and 280 civilians within six months.