Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum met separately with Nigeria’s top military commanders in Abuja on Thursday for critical security discussions following a dangerous resurgence of Boko Haram attacks across the northeast. The governor held closed-door meetings with Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Olufemi Olatubosun Oluyede, Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, and Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar to coordinate an urgent response to the escalating crisis.
Multiple sources familiar with the discussions revealed the meetings focused on implementing more effective counterinsurgency strategies, including enhanced intelligence sharing between security agencies, deployment of additional troops to vulnerable areas, and new operational tactics to counter recent insurgent attacks. The governor’s delegation included Borno’s three senators – Mohammed Ali Ndume (South), Mohammed Tahir Monguno (North), and Kaka Shehu Lawan (Central) – along with House of Representatives members Mukhtar Betara Aliyu and Engr Bukar Talba, demonstrating unified political support for military operations.
The emergency summit came just two days after Zulum sounded the alarm during an expanded security meeting in Maiduguri, where he warned that recent terrorist attacks on both civilian and military targets risked spiraling out of control unless immediate action was taken. Security analysts note the insurgents appear to be exploiting the ongoing rainy season when flooded roads and difficult terrain limit security force mobility.
Recent weeks have seen a troubling surge in Boko Haram and ISWAP activities, with multiple attacks on military formations, highway ambushes targeting travelers, and assaults on rural communities leading to new displacement waves. The Abuja meetings aimed to develop concrete measures to protect vulnerable populations and critical infrastructure while disrupting insurgent supply lines and hideouts.
