The Chief of Defence Staff, Olufemi Oluyede, has called on residents of Borno State and Yobe State to take greater responsibility in efforts to end the Boko Haram insurgency, stressing that community involvement is critical to defeating terrorism in the North-East.
Oluyede made the appeal in Maiduguri while addressing residents after relocating to the state alongside the Chief of Army Staff, Waidi Shaibu, on the directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The deployment followed a series of explosions in Borno that left several people dead and others injured, prompting the President to order top military leadership to take direct charge of security operations in the state.
Addressing residents, the CDS emphasised the need for local ownership of the fight against insurgency.
“I want to put it clearly this afternoon that for us to end this act of terrorism, the people of Borno State and Yobe must take ownership of this problem.
Read Also: Nigeria Can Defeat Terrorism Without Foreign Help If … — Falana
“Bulk of people perpetrating this heinous act are from these states, they are our brothers, sisters, cousins and we know them.
“For example, when Kukawa was attacked, and we were conducting cordon and search afterward, we realised that two of the people that came to attack Kukawa were those inside that village. That means they are accomplices,” he said.
He urged communities to work collectively with security agencies, insisting that lasting peace can only be achieved through cooperation and vigilance.
“We must take ownership of this crisis. That is my message to the people of Yobe and Borno,” he insisted.
On the evolving tactics of insurgents, Oluyede noted the increasing use of advanced technology, including drones, in attacks on both military formations and civilian locations.
“it’s something that is evolving, and we are responding with germans drones and we are getting more of the drones,” he said.
