‘Boko Haram Has Gone Beyond FG’s Capacity’ – Olusegun Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has spoken on the high level of insecurity in the country, stating that the Federal Government alone cannot tackle the menace.

Speaking at the second session of the seventh Synod of the Anglican Communion, Oleh Diocese, in the Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State, Obasanjo called for greater collaborating among several African governments in tackling terrorism.

“Intelligence was poor and governments embarked on games of denials while paying ransoms which strengthened the insurgents and yet governments denied payment of ransoms. Today, the security issue has gone beyond the wit and capacity of Nigerian government or even West African governments,” he stated. 

According to him, insecurity must be taken seriously at all levels and be addressed at once without favouritism or cuddling. He regretted that Boko Haram and herdsmen acts of violence were not treated as they should at the beginning.

“They have both incubated and developed beyond what Nigeria can handle alone. They are now combined and internationalised with ISIS in control. It is no longer an issue of lack of education and lack of employment for our youth in Nigeria which it began as, it is now West African fulanisation, African islamisation and global organised crimes of human trafficking, money laundering, drug trafficking, gun trafficking, illegal mining and regime change,” Obasanjo said.

While noting that intelligence was poor and governments embarked on games of denials, he condemned a situation whereby payments for ransoms which strengthened the insurgents were made “yet governments denied payment of ransoms.”

He however wants the Federal Government to see to the right welfare packages for troops fighting the Boko Haram terrorists. He lamented that “soldiers were poorly trained for the unusual mission, poorly equipped, poorly motivated, poorly led and made to engage in propaganda rather than achieving results.”