The Governors of Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe and Taraba states have raised the alarm that Boko Haram terrorists are on massive recruitment drive.
The governors, after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, attributed the new recruitment drive to the non-resettlement of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) as many of them were mainly farmers that are yet to have access to their farmlands.
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Boko Haram recruitment tactics in recent time have also been attributed to the growing poverty and lack of job opportunities.
It is estimated that Boko Haram and ISWAP, since 2009, have recruited about 8000 children into their folds.
Speaking on the issue, Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State told newsmen that the governors advised President Buhari on the need to create an enabling environment that would enable people to go about their normal duties and also empower the police with the state-of-the-art equipment to bridge the existing gap and reduce the cases of insurgency.
He said they met with the president after the North East Governors Forum (NEGF) meeting, which was held in Maiduguri on Saturday, with a view to highlighting the key challenges in the region, especially issues of security, decaying infrastructure, oil exploration, the river basin development, among others.
He asked the federal government to address the root causes of insurgency in their region.
Zulum said: “The governments of the region commended the efforts of the federal government in securing the region.
“However, we told the president that there is a need for the federal government to address the causes of insurgency, which are not limited to endemic poverty, hunger among others.
“One of the root causes is that of access to farm lands.
“People need to go back to their farmlands, people need to be resettled in their original homes so that they can restart their means of livelihood.
“This is one of the reasons the insurgents are recruiting more into the sect’’.
‘Community sensitization key to stopping Boko Haram recruitment’
Meanwhile, some Nigerian professionals in the diaspora believe that community-to-community sensitization would go a long way in deterring the youths from joining the insurgent group.
This and others were part of the recommendations made by the Association of Nigerian Professionals in Europe (ANPE) as the missing piece that could potentially end insurgency.
In a communique signed by its president, Dr. Agwu Onyeke and 13 others, issued after an emergency extraordinary virtual meeting, ANPE reasoned that the remnants of terrorists would have been eliminated by the troops had the political class shown the same zeal.
“That the Government of Borno State must task the community and religious leaders on the need to ensure that their subjects are not brainwashed into joining the Boko Haram group and other militant groups.
“That the political authorities in states affected by the Boko Haram insurgency must extend support to the Nigerian Military where necessary.
“Agencies such as the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency must ensure the strict monitoring of the influx of hard drugs in areas, especially in areas with a known history of conflict and drug abuse.
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