Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum has revealed that Boko Haram terrorists now offer as low as ₦5,000 to ₦10,000 to recruit spies and weapon smugglers in different parts of the North-East.
The governor made this claim on Saturday in a broadcast to mark Democracy Day and the second anniversary of his administration.
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According to him, there is the need to tackle poverty in the country, lamenting how easy it is for insurgents to recruit into their group.
Zulum noted, however, that his government has achieved a lot in the infrastructural development of the state and in the area of securing the people from Boko Haram attacks.
He said; ‘From records, we have experienced instances when insurgents offered as low as between 5,000 and 10,000 Naira to recruit some spies and smugglers of weapons’, he said.
‘We needed to ensure that our good citizens had the support they needed, and they were not exposed to potential attractions for the incentives of insurgents’.
‘There was the risk that insurgents could, after making IDPs socially and economically vulnerable, also explore that vulnerability by offering food and cash incentives to recruit fighters who could even serve as their spies in communities.‘ he added.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK