Northern Governors Urge FG to Declare Total War on Boko Haram

Chairman of the Northern State Governors’ Forum (NSGF), Dr. Babangida Aliyu

The Chairman of the Northern State Governors’ Forum (NSGF), Dr. Babangida Aliyu, on Monday said that unless the federal government declared a total war against Boko Haram terrorists, the group might over-run the entire North.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Sir Ahmadu Bello Foundation Secretariat in Kaduna state, the governor explained that  Boko Haram members were no longer terrorists but “rebels” and as such, the federal government must  declare total war against them.

He lamented that the activities of the murderous and destructive group had dealt a deadly blow to the socio-economy of the northern  region, promising that the 19 northern states were  prepared to support the federal government to root out the terror group.

“We must as leaders all come together on bipartisan or non-partisan basis to encourage Mr. President and the federal government to declare total war and eliminate Boko Haram in our midst before the 2015 elections.

“They are no more terrorists but rebels, who have declared war against their country and have acquired illegal territories; we must therefore crush them.

“Boko Haram is no more terrorists as it affect all of us. It is not the issue of All Progressives Congress (APC) or Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), we need to put our heads together,” the governor said.

He also stressed the need for the establishment of state police to tackle the prevailing
security challenges.

“We must also pursue the issue of state police so that we can have a stronger and rational say in the security of our states and account for our actions and inactions,” he said.

President Goodluck Jonathan who was represented at the occasion by the Minister for Special Duties and the supervising Minister of Labour, Alhaji Tanimu Turaki, said the issue of security was a collective responsibility  and not of security agents alone. He said the federal government would continue with the war against terrorists in the country.

He added that the government was still disposed to dialogue with members of the violent Islam sect, Boko Haram.

Extolling the virtue of the late Premier of the defunct Northern Region, Sir Ahmadu Bello, the president said as one of the founding fathers of Nigeria, the late Sardauna developed the region without prejudice to other parts of the country.