•Boko Haram terrorists
The House of Representatives yesterday erupted into a fiery debate as lawmakers from conflict-hit regions raised fresh concerns over Nigeria’s deteriorating security situation.
Leading the charge was Ahmed Jaha (APC, Borno), who warned that Boko Haram has not only resurged but returned with deadlier tactics, including the use of weaponised drones, reports The Guardian.
This followed the debate on a motion of urgent public importance moved by Ahmed Satomi on the recent fire incident at the armory at Giwa Barracks and the escalating attacks on military formations in Borno and Yobe states.
Jaha, who represents Chibok/Damboa/Gwoza Federal Constituency, said 10 peasant farmers were slaughtered in Pulka, 14 in Chibok, and military officers were killed in Izge and Kampu.
He said Boko Haram terrorists now used weaponized drones, saying the Nigerian Army has been outgunned.
“I have seen it. Nobody told me. I was there,” he stated.
Jaha warned the House not to be complacent, saying between 2015 and 2019, the government spent N19.7 trillion on security, “yet Boko Haram is resurging worse than ever. We must do proper oversight.”
The lawmaker added, “Mr. Speaker, I am talking as a victim of the recent resurgence of an insurgence of Boko Haram. I went to my constituency on Saturday to sympathise, to condole with the people that lost their lives as a result of this sporadic, uninterrupted attack.
“In my constituency, in Pulka constituency, ten peasant farmers went out to scavenge for what we call sawroot. Peasant farmers were slaughtered by Boko Haram members, and five are still at large and three are critically ill in the hospital. In Chibok, 14 peasant farmers were attacked in their community.
“In less than a blink of an eye, they reduced 14 people to nothing. New motorcycles, new AK-47 kill people when they are running for their own lives. I lost two military men, a captain and a senior officer, as a result of Boko Haram insurgency.
In Kampu, I lost two men and one military officer as a result of the Boko Haram insurgency.
“This will be on record. They are using armed drones, weaponised drones, which the Nigerian Army is not using. In other words, they are more sophisticated and advanced than the Nigerian Army.
“Boko Haram is coming back worse than what we had in the past. Take it or leave it. Boko Haram, whatever name you call them, they are coming back. Let us do something serious in order not to go back to our days when 22 local governments out of 27 local governments of the world were occupied by Boko Haram.
“We shouldn’t be complacent with this. I align with the Honourable Deputy by saying that we should do our own part by doing the proper oversight, as many expected, because between 2015 and 2019, the Nigerian government spent 19.7 trillion on security issues. I have the record with me. So we shouldn’t be complacent.”
Another lawmaker from Borno, Zainab Gimba, corroborated the use of drones and foreign fighters in recent attacks.
Gimba, who represents Bama/Ngala/Kala-Balge federal constituency, said 20 soldiers were killed in a Boko Haram ambush on a multinational force base in her constituency.
“The commander told me that among the insurgents were several white men; there is foreign influence here,” she said.
The lawmaker condemned the positioning of military formations within cities, citing the Giwa Barracks fire in Maiduguri.
“Before the public knew what was happening, panic had already spread. These formations should be outside city centres. Our lives should not be politicised.
“Mr. Speaker, another issue of concern for this house is that with the exit of Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali from ECOWAS, it has also posed a lot of threat, especially at the borders of Malibu and other borders bordering Nigeria. Because if there is no synergy, this insurgency will pose several threats to the country, not only to the state.
“We are giving the impression that the fire outbreak came as a result of either a fire source or whatever within the barracks because on that particular day, there hadn’t been any Boko Haram attack in Maiduguri.
“In my own constituency, there has been a Boko Haram attack on a military formation of the multinational joint task force, where more than 20 soldiers were killed.
“Mr. Speaker, it will interest you to know that I visited that formation, and the commander told me that out of about nearly 100 soldiers in that formation, we have only 6 Nigerian soldiers. And it is a multinational joint task force where we expect to have, if not an equal number, at least a substantive number of Nigerian military men in that formation. And again, Mr. Speaker, the commanding officer of that formation revealed and confessed that it wasn’t the first or the second time that formation has been attacked, but on that very day, that was on the 24th of March, 2025, that attack was unprecedented,” he said.
Shettima Ali (APC, Yobe) called for legislative reform to allow citizens defend themselves. “Let this House create a law that permits our people to protect themselves. The security forces are not enough and don’t know the terrain.”
Ali, representing Bursari/Geidam/Yunusari Federal Constituency, said: “Our people are being killed day by day. I want this House to come up with another idea to deal with our people. We have to think about how to create a law that will allow our people to protect themselves; we just need this thing.
“Because, like what Jaha has said, our security personnel are inadequate; they don’t know the terrain of our communities. They are trying their best, but the people are inadequate, and they don’t know the terrain of our communities.
Speaking, Babajimi Benson (APC, Lagos) said the federal government’s security spending is not yielding results.
According to him, the presidency has spent so much on the military without commensurate outcomes, adding that there is a need for drastic measures.
The House, however, resolved to investigate the cause of the fire incident at Giwa Barracks armory and report back to the house for immediate action to prevent future occurrences.
The lawmakers also agreed to conduct a thorough review of security measures in military installations to prevent similar incidents.
