From Fred Itua, Abuja
Senate committee chairman on Army, Mohammed Ali Ndume, on Tuesday, revealed that some Boko Haram terrorists tried without success, to infiltrate and attack Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
Ndume who addressed newsmen in Abuja, said some of the terrorists were killed by a combined team of security agents during the face off.
He said if the Military sustains the current onslaught, the war against insurgency in the North East will yield more fruitful results.
He said: “I commend the armed forces operating in Maiduguri for their gallant response to the attack by the Boko Haram on Tuesday evening around 6pm. A group of Boko Haram insurgents wanted to infiltrate Maiduguri, but the armed forces responded swiftly and neutralised and repelled the insurgents.
“I understand that most of the insurgents were killed. The Army, Airforce, Police and the civilian JTF, played a very significant role in repelling the insurgents. If such a reaction from the armed forces is sustained, the insurgents would be repelled whenever they surface anywhere in the North East.”
Ndume who represents Borno South in the Senate, also tackled Southern governors who converged on Asaba, the Delta State capital on Tuesday, to take a common position on security challenges facing the region.
He said each of the Governors are the chief security officers of their states, and wondered why the responsibility to ensure adequate security is left with President Muhammadu Buhari alone.
He said the current challenge is not about open grazing, maintaining that each region has its peculiar challenge. He said Buhari has fully taken over the security of the country.
He said: “As far as I am concerned, this blame game will not solve the problem. Governors are the chief security officers of their states. So, why are they talking about the President without talking about themselves? The Governors are deviating from the matter. The problem is not about open grazing.
“The problem is security. Most of the insecurity problems confronting Nigeria is not in the bush. We have four different types of security challenges. We have the insurgency in the North East, IPOB through the Easter Security Network is creating insecurity in the South East, there is banditry in the North West.
“It is only in the North Central that we have issues of farmers-herders clashes. There is less problem in the South – West except for the clashes between the herdsmen and the farmers and the agitators for the Yoruba nation. Similarly, in the South – South, they are trying to instigate the avengers but so far the area is peaceful.
“The issue of insecurity is unique to each zone. President Buhari has taken charge of the security personally now. It used to be the Chief of Staff or the Minister of Defence who was having meetings with the service chiefs but today, the President has taken charge of the problem.
“That is a good development and I hope we would start seeing results but the most important thing is for them to be provuded with necessary equipment to prosecute the war and their allowances should be paid in time.”