Boko Haram insurgents are behind North-West banditry and South-West kidnapping – Governor Fayemi says

Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi has alleged that Boko Haram fugitives are behind banditry in the North-West region and kidnapping in the country’s South-West region.

Appearing on the Sunday Politics program of Channels Television, Fayemi, who is also the chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum, claimed that “if we do not draw a correlation between what is going on in Borno State and what is happening in other parts of the country.” it would be a big mistake.

He said;

If a state of emergency were to be declared, I have no opinion on that, as far as the Governors’ Forum is concerned, we have not addressed the state of emergency. And it is not something that has been suggested to us by our colleagues who are at the receiving end of the insurgency. Governor (Babagana) Zulum and our colleagues in the North East did not say anything about the state of emergency.

The rebellion is not confined to the state of Borno. If we do not draw a link between what is happening in Borno State and what is happening in other parts of the world, we would make a mistake-banditry, abduction, militancy, they are entangled inextricably.

The ones investigating the banditry in the North-West are some of the rebels who fled from the territory of Boko Haram, some of whom are involved in the abduction in the South-West.

Insurgents coming down from Sudan from ISWAP (Islamic State West Africa Province), Niger (Republic) are interested in what’s going on. How many counties, then will you call a state of emergency? So on this, we must take a holistic view.

Fayemi also called for more powers to be given to state governments to manage their domain’s defense, as this will help resolve the country’s insecurity.