An erstwhile Governor of Borno State, Ali Modu Sheriff, has revealed critical steps towards ending the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria.
Sheriff urged the Federal Government to boost regional alliances with neighbouring countries with a view to nipping the insurgency in the bud.
The former Borno governor made this disclosure on Monday when he appeared as a guest on Politics Today, a programme on Channels Television, stressing that lasting peace in Nigeria’s northeast could not be achieved without meaningful cooperation with neighbouring states.
“What should be done is that we have to have a proper relationship with Cameroon, Chad, and Niger,” he said.
He recalled that during his tenure as governor from 2003 to 2011, people mistakenly assumed the insurgency was a Borno issue.
“Even my next-door neighbour, then governor of Yobe State, did not believe this had nothing to do with the people of Borno.
“These are problems that were coming from outside Nigeria. Unfortunately for us in Borno State, we are bordered by Chad, Niger, and Cameroon, and it’s all land borders,” he added.
He alleged that local actors were being financed and manipulated under religious pretexts, explaining that external forces were involved in destabilising Nigeria during his administration.
Weighing in on the worsening economic hardship Nigerians are facing under the Tinubu administration, Sheriff acknowledged the pain but cautioned against blaming a single individual.
DAILY POST reports that the Boko Haram insurgency has, for years, led to the loss of lives and displaced millions across Nigeria.
According to the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, however, since President Bola Tinubu took office in May 2023, over 13,000 Boko Haram and ISWAP fighters have been neutralised, while about 124,000 have surrendered.
