The Boko Haram terrorist group has killed 223 civilians, 82 soldiers and seven policemen in seven months, Daily Trust investigation has revealed.

The incidents, which occurred between January 2 and August 2 this year, took place in various locations in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states.

The investigation showed that 21 civilians and 13 soldiers were injured during the same period.

About two weeks ago, Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum’s convoy was also attacked by gunmen.

The deteriorating insecurity situation made the North-east governors to meet with the president yesterday. At the meeting, they maintained that the insurgents’ were recruiting more members and that there was need to do more to enable displaced persons return to their homes and farms.

The president on his part said a lot had been achieved in the area of security but that service chiefs must do more to secure the country.

On January 3, three civilians were killed in Bila-Amboldar Village in Chibok Local Government Area of Borno State, while four soldiers and 11 others were injured in Jakana military base on January 4 in Borno State.

Two policemen were injured on January 6 along Maiduguri-Damaturu highway, while three others were killed same day at the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) base at Kundori Village, Konduga in Borno State.

On January 7, 30 civilians were killed by the insurgents, while 35 others sustained injuries at Gamboru, Gamboru/Ngala LGA of Borno State.

Eight soldiers and eight civilians killed on January 7 in Monguno LGA of Adamawa State, while on January 10, three civilians were sent to the great beyond by the terrorists in another incident that occurred along the Maiduguri-Damaturu highway in Konduga LGA in Borno.

In Firgi military base, located in Bama LGA of Borno, five soldiers died in an incident that left four insurgents dead on January 17.

On January 18, four soldiers died along Bama-Gwoza road in Gamboru-Ngala LGA, while on January 21, eight soldiers were killed at Mainok military base, Maiduguri-Damaturu road in Kaga LGA, Borno.

Ten civilians were killed on January 23 this year in Lura village, Dikwa LGA of Borno State, while four civilians were killed in Muna Galti on January 24 in Jere LGA of the same state.

At Bulabulin mosque, Gwoza, three civilians were killed, while 13 others were injured on January 25 in Gwoza LGA.

Also on January 29, three civilians were killed, two injured along the Damaturu-Maiduguri road in Konduga LGA of Borno, while on February 21 in Gombi LGA of Adamawa State, two soldiers were killed.

Three soldiers were killed and four others injured on March 4 in Damboa army super camp, while on March 5 in Bursari LGA of Yobe State, seven policemen and one civilian were killed in Dapchi town.

On March 21, 47 soldiers were killed in Gorgi village of Borno State, while on April 7 in Chul and Wemdio villages in Askira/Uba LGA of Borno State, three civilians were killed and three others injured.

Seven civilians were killed on April 12 along Aubo-Maiduguri-Damaturu road, while on April 18, in Gujba LGA of Yobe, one civilian was killed in Buni Gari town.

At Mainok military base on May 16, five soldiers were killed in Kaga LGA of Borno, while on June 9 in Gubio LGA of Borno, 81 civilians were killed in Foduma Kolomaiya village.

Thirty five civilians were equally murdered in Usmanti Goni on June 13 in Nganzai LGA of Borno, while 16 civilians were killed and nine soldiers injured along Damboa/Maiduguri highway on June 17 in Damboa LGA.

On June 21, five civilians were killed in Moduri, Kalewa and Ngurori communities at Magumeri LGA of Borno, while two civilians were killed in Damasak on July 4 at Mobbar LGA.

Two civilians and one soldier were killed in Mainok on July 6 in Mainok LGA of Borno, while 20 soldiers were killed on July 7 in Damboa.

On July 13, four soldiers were killed at Mainok in Kaga LGA of Borno, while four civilians were killed and three others injured in Maiduguri on July 30.

Two civilians were killed at Kafan Ruwa village on August 2 in Konduga LGA of Borno.

The governors of the North-east yesterday said that insurgents were recruiting more members because the internally displaced persons had not been fully resettled in their homes to enable them to have access to farmlands.

The chairman of North-east Governors’ Forum (NEGF) and Governor of Borno State, Babagana Zulum, in company of Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, spoke after a closed door meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, with President Muhammadu Buhari and heads of security agencies.

Zulum said the North-east governors told President Buhari of the need to create an enabling environment that would enable people to go about their normal duties and also empower the police with the state-of-the-art equipment to bridge the existing gap and reduce the cases of insurgency.

He said they met with the president after the NEGF meeting, which was held in Maiduguri on Saturday, with a view to highlighting the key challenges in the region, especially issues of security, decaying infrastructure, oil exploration, the river basin development, among others.

He asked the federal government to address the root causes of insurgency in their region.

Zulum said: “The governments of the region commended the efforts of the federal government in securing the region. However, we told the president that there is a need for the federal government to address the causes of insurgency, which are not limited to endemic poverty, hunger among others.

“One of the root causes is that of access to farm lands, people need to go back to their farmlands, people need to be resettled in their original homes so that they can restart their means of livelihood. This is one of the reasons the insurgents are recruiting more into the sect’’.

You must perform better, president warns security chiefs again

President Buhari yesterday, for the umpteenth time, told the service chiefs that his belief that “the army should do better” to end the worsening security challenges in the country was nothing but the truth.

The president, after listening to a presentation from the North-east governors, enjoined them to respect the sacrifices made so far by the military.

He said that despite lack of resources made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic, the government would continue to do its best to tackle the security challenges head-on.

Buhari said the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration must secure the country since security remained the fundamental responsibility of a government, recalling that it was one of the three fundamental issues the party campaigned on.

He said: “We have problems of resources and security. You know what we inherited. The people of the North-east will appreciate what this administration has done.

“The general report I am getting, other from the conventional ones from the intelligence sources, is that the Army should do better and this is the truth.

“It is so often coming to me that I have to believe it.

“I assure you that the government is doing its best. I assure you North-east governors, especially the governor of Borno, that we go to bed and wake up thinking about you and how to secure our country.”

Buhari, in a statement subsequently issued by his spokesman, Garba Shehu, gave strong assurances that security would be restored to Borno, the North-east and nation at large.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, the Chief of Staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, the National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno (rtd) and all the Service Chiefs who spoke in support of the president, assured that things would get better soon. They made a strong case for strengthening ties among the military, state governments, traditional institutions, communities and residents of the region.

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Buratai, gave an assessment of the current efforts, stressing that Boko Haram terrorists have been flushed out of states in the region, leaving Borno State as the last stop.

“We are coordinating with civil and traditional authorities, mobilising and reinforcing and all we need is patience. We will not relent,” he said.

On his part, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, briefed the meeting on the acquisition of military aircraft, stressing that the imminent arrival of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) known as drones with more than 10 hours of flying time, would strongly reinforce the battle front.

In their address at the beginning of the meeting, the North-east governors noted that the security situation in the region had greatly improved, compared to the time the president assumed office.

The governors warned of the consequences of a “War Economy” and the need to address the root causes of the insurgency.

The Nigerian Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), under the leadership of the Co-Chairmen, Dr Samson Supo Ayokunle, the President, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN); and Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, the Sultan of Sokoto and President General, Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), said government must provide adequate security for Nigerian citizens to enjoy peaceful coexistence irrespective of tribe, political affiliation and religion.

The Executive Secretary, NIREC, and Secretary General, West Africa Inter-Religious Council, Fr. Cornelius Afebu Omonokhua, in a statement issued in Abuja yesterday, called for compensation for displaced victims of violence and security for them to return to their native land.

Prof. Omonokhua said Nigeria must set a day aside to remember all the victims that had been killed by terrorists, bandits and all forms of criminals in the country, in the statement issued to congratulate President Buhari and all Nigerians for being among the countries that had ratified the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).