Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule has urged the Federal Government to provide additional resources to Nigeria’s military to tackle the escalating insecurity in the north central region. Speaking on Thursday, Sule emphasized the need for enhanced technology, communication, and personnel to address the wave of deadly attacks in states like Benue and Plateau.
The north central region has been plagued by violent attacks, with bandits leaving scores dead, homes destroyed, and thousands displaced. On Monday, Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia reported that the death toll from attacks in Ukum and Logo local government areas had risen to 72. Alia also called for urgent federal intervention to bolster security surveillance in the state.
Sule, following discussions with military officials, stressed the importance of equipping the armed forces with advanced tools. “We must introduce more resources in the form of technology, people, and, most critically, communication to support the military,” he said. “That’s the only way they can achieve success, and we are committed to making this happen.”
Echoing Alia’s claims, Sule suggested that the attackers are not Nigerians, noting that they speak a distinct dialect of Fulfulde and resemble Fulani but do not speak Hausa. “It’s not difficult to identify them. We have videos of them,” he said, adding that the attackers likely originate from neighboring countries like Niger, Mali, Senegal, Burkina Faso, or Chad, where security and economic challenges are driving cross-border incursions.
Sule also highlighted the difficulty of securing Nigeria’s porous borders. “Monitoring is ongoing, but technology alone cannot cover the entire border,” he said. He noted that Plateau’s governor recently confirmed that attackers in the state were not local residents but came from specific locations to carry out raids before retreating.