Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists are regrouping with renewed strength in Nigeria’s northeast, drawing international support and exploiting neglected waterways, Governor Babagana Zulum has warned.
Speaking in Maiduguri on Friday during a high-profile military visit led by Defence Minister Badaru Abubakar and Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Christopher Musa, Zulum painted a stark picture of how insurgents are reclaiming lost territories — particularly in the Tumbus region of Lake Chad and the Mandara Hills within Sambisa Forest.
Despite years of military offensives, Zulum revealed that insurgent groups are thriving in areas where security forces withdraw after operations, taking advantage of the difficult terrain and the absence of sustained pressure. He pointed specifically to the Tumbus water network — a complex system of swamps and islands — as a critical breeding ground that remains largely untouched by Nigerian forces.
“Without continuous military presence in the waterways, these terrorists will always find safe haven,” Zulum said, warning that fighters across the Northwest, North Central, and Northeast are finding refuge and resources by retreating into the Lake Chad basin.
Zulum’s warning follows new concerns raised by security experts. Bulama Bukarti, of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, recently flagged the growing influence of Boko Haram on global social media platforms like TikTok. Meanwhile, Senator Ali Ndume disclosed that Boko Haram attacks have killed around 100 soldiers and 280 civilians over the last six months alone.
With porous borders and the Sahel crisis fueling the insurgency, Zulum’s call highlights a looming threat: without urgent, continuous intervention, the terrorists could carve out an even stronger foothold right under the nation’s nose.
