Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, has expressed serious concern about informants and collaborators aiding insurgents from within the Nigerian armed forces, political circles, and local communities. “We have informants and collaborators within the Nigerian armed forces, within the politicians, and within the communities. What we shall do is to strengthen our intelligence and to deal with them ruthlessly,” Zulum stated during an appearance on News Central’s Breakfast Central on Wednesday. His revelation adds a new layer to Nigeria’s counter-insurgency conversation, emphasising the need for internal cleansing and enhanced intelligence operations to defeat terrorism. The governor, who has consistently championed both kinetic and non-kinetic approaches to tackling insecurity, reiterated that military force alone will not bring an end to the insurgency in the North-East. He said, “Insurgency will never be ended by kinetic measures alone. We must ensure that the non-kinetic measures are also properly put in place. “What I mean by non-kinetic measures is social, political, and economic dimensions of the crisis. Our ongoing non-kinetic measures have yielded positive results with the support of the Nigerian military.” Zulum revealed that while not all surrendered insurgents may be fully reformed, more than 99% have abandoned terrorism and are reintegrating into society. “I cannot completely say that 100% of those people who have surrendered are doing the right thing, but I want to assure you that over 99% are doing well and are not participating in the ongoing terrorism,” he said. The governor also lamented that the Nigerian Army does not have the necessary equipment to fight insurgency.