‘Nigeria must be declared a nation at war’ — Okorocha speaks on killing of soldiers

Rochas Okorocha, Imo state governor, says Nigeria should be declared as a nation at war over the recent killings of soldiers by Boko Haram insurgents in Borno.

Daily Trust quoted the governor to have said this when officers from the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC) Jaji, Kaduna, paid him a courtesy visit at the government house, Owerri, Imo state capital.

Soldiers in the north-east have been under a series of attacks by the insurgents in the last two weeks.

The Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA), a faction of the Boko Haram sect, claimed responsibility for the attacks.

While there were reports that over 100 soldiers lost their lives, the army said it lost 39 of its troops.

Okorocha said the loss of 10 soldiers is enough to declare Nigeria at war, “not to talk about 40 soldiers.”

He likened the insecurity situation in the country to what was obtainable in Imo when he assumed office.

“A nation has to be in a serious war to lose 10 soldiers, not to talk about 40 soldiers. So Nigeria must declare itself as a nation at war,” Okorocha said.

“What I think is happening in the North-East is what was happening here in Imo State when I came in 2011. Owerri was notorious for kidnapping and we were number one State for kidnapping when I came in to the extent that by 5.30 or 6pm everybody had gone home for fear of being kidnapped. But we tackled it and overcame.”

On Thursday, President Muhammadu Buhari went to N’Djamena, Chad, to preside over the summit of heads of states and governments of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC).

The president met with five African presidents to review the security situation in the region and intensify efforts to tackle the Boko Haram insurgency and other security challenges.