Ekhomu warns of danger as Borno Government hires 150 Cameroonian vigilantes to fight Boko Haram

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The President of the Association of Industrial Security and Safety Operators of Nigeria, Dr Ona Ekhomu, has condemned the decision of the Borno State Government to hire 150 Cameroonian vigilantes to combat Boko Haram insurgents.

The security expert said the move by the state Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum, was “a huge mistake” which could increase security threats in the North-East.

Ekhomu, in a statement on Thursday, said the state governor did not have the power to recruit foreigners to conduct internal security operations in the state.


He explained that there was no legal backing for foreign vigilantes to be armed to patrol Borno when they were not part of a recognised military alliance.

“If we say the military cannot defend Borno from Boko Haram insurgents, then the political legitimacy and authority of the Muhammadu Buhari government is questioned,” he added.

Ekhomu, warned that giving the Cameroonian Kesh-Kesh vigilantes freedom to patrol the Borno countryside would increase their knowledge of the area and enable them to mount attacks when they no longer benefited from the largesse of the state government.

The expert said if local vigilantes were trained and well equipped, they could fight alongside the Nigerian military, civilian JTF and local hunters to address the threat of Boko Haram.

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