Insecurity: Governors are frustrated, says Fayemi

Ekiti State governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi has said governors are frustrated over the security challenges facing the country.

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

Fayemi, who is the chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), said the military is overwhelmed in handling Nigeria’s security challenges, adding that efforts to tackle insecurity must involve local communities.

A statement on Wednesday by Fayemi’s Chief Press Secretary, Gbenga Oyebode quoted him as saying the killing of 43 farmers over the weekend by insurgents is “beyond any imagination.”

“It was a massacre and it was one that none of us could come to terms easily with.

“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 governor said.

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,” Fayemi added.

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.