FCT, Abuja – Senator Ali Ndume has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to turn his nationwide security emergency declaration into tangible action, following last week’s deadly Boko Haram attack in Ngoshe, Borno State, which left residents dead and more than 100 women and children abducted.
Representing Borno South, Ndume stressed that the security emergency, announced in November 2025, must translate into coordinated military operations on the ground. He specifically called for consistent clearance missions in known insurgent strongholds including Lake Chad, Sambisa Forest, and the Mandara Mountains, which he described as launch points for recent attacks. “Government should walk its talks and carry action on emergency by engaging in coordinated and sustainable attacks on targets, especially in the North-East,” Ndume said.
The senator also recommended that the President establish a situation room in the Villa to provide direct updates to Nigerians, ensuring transparency and trust in the ongoing operations. In addition, he called for the creation of Air Components Centres across the three Northern geopolitical zones, equipped with attack helicopters to support ground forces.
Highlighting budgetary concerns, Ndume stressed the importance of frontloading security budgets to enable rapid procurement of arms and ammunition, noting that the Nigerian Army’s current allocation is less than 10% of the national budget. “Sophisticated weapons are increasingly in the hands of terrorist groups,” he warned.
The urgency of his call comes amid recent military losses. Within one week in Borno, three commanding officers were killed during insurgent attacks, bringing the number of officers lost in the last three months to seven, alongside one brigadier general. Ndume emphasized that coordinated intelligence and operational planning are critical to preventing further attacks and strengthening security across Northern Nigeria.
