The Nigerian House of Representatives has stressed the need to treat the north-east as a war zone in order to find a permanent solution to the insurgence of the Boko Haram sect.
At Wednesday’s plenary, a member of the house representing a constituency in Borno State, Hon. Aliyi Muktar, said it was a matter of urgency for the government to show concern for Nigerians in the north-east and end the insurgency in the region.
Hon. Muktar, stated that there was an urgent need for necessary agencies like National Emergency Management Agency to provide relief materials and accommodation for displaced persons in Borno State.
“I call on the House to look at the extent of killings in my state as a matter of public importance,” he said.
Treat As War Zone
Supporting the motion, Mrs Nnenna Elendu-Ukeje said it was time for the government to treat the region as a war zone, send in all necessary equipment and get a military aircraft to fly in the area.
“We are dealing with an organised military. We need the Air Force and we need foot soldiers on the ground and make them realise that we are at war and deal with it as a war situation.
She raised a newspaper showing a headline that read: ‘106 killed in Fresh Attacks,’ questioning why the government should allow the daily killings to continue.
Mrs Elendu-Ukeje pointed out that, day in day out; people were dying in the state.
“This is war. We cannot continue to lose people everyday. It is 106 today, tomorrow God knows how many we are going to lose. Throughout last week this was what was on the front pages of all the newspapers,” she said, emphasising the height of the insurgence.
Lack Of Political Will
The governor of the state had on Monday raised an alarm that the Military was losing the grounds they had won in the area, saying that the Boko Haram sect was better motivated than the Nigerian Army.
Several reactions have trailed the recent killings, with most opinions laying credence to the fact that political leaders lacked the need political will to fight the terrorist group.
A retired Captain, Umar Aliyu, on Wednesday called on the government to unleash the army and give them a marching order to end the situation, saying that fighting the sect was a picnic compared to military operations the army had embarked on in the past.
