Community leaders must cooperate with leaders to end the Boko Haram insurgency, President Muhammadu Buhari said on Wednesday.
Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has sought the cooperation of community leaders to end the Boko Haram insurgency in the northeast.
“This Boko Haram or whatever they are, cannot come up to Maiduguri or environs without the local leadership knowing. Because traditionally the local leadership is in charge of security in their areas. So, with my understanding of our culture, I wonder how Boko Haram survives up to this end, he added.
The President spoke during a condolence visit to Maiduguri on his way from Ethiopia where he attended the African Union Summit.
The President visited the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Ibn-Garbai, following the February 9 attack on Auno community where no fewer than 30 travellers were burnt to death in a Boko Haram attack.
The President wondered why the Boko Haram crisis had lasted for so long saying the counter insurgency battle cannot be won without good intelligence from the civil population from the local communities.
He said: “And as Commander in Chief, I campaign both in 2015 and last year on three fundamental issues which include Security; you cannot properly preside over an institution or a country if it is not properly secured. Everybody knows this. Even those who didn’t go to school. This is just common sense.
“Secondly the economy, we have young, aggressive youth, the Nigerian youths constitute 60 per cent of our population with the average age of below 30 years. So we have to remind them that they must help us to stabilise this country so that they can have a better future and for our grandchildren.
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