Ndume:

Richard Elesho/ Lokoja

The Senator representing Borno South has thrown his weight behind calls on the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to engage the services of mercenaries in the fight against insurgency and banditry.

Ndume, who is Chairman Senate Committee on Army said this is because Nigerian troops are ill equipped and overwhelmed by the security challenges in various parts of the country.

He therefore said it would not be out of place to seek help from international professional groups.

Ndume made his position known at an interactive session with journalists in Abuja at the weekend.

The idea of hiring mercenaries to fight Boko Haram was mooted by the governors of North-East states last December as a way of defeating Boko Haram.

“I don’t see what is wrong in asking for help when you are overwhelmed,” Ndume said in support of the suggestion.

He noted that the federal government must ensure that the armed forces have what it takes to fight insecurity.

“And to do that, the security agencies must be well funded,” he added.

It would be recalled that the National Security Adviser Gen. Babagana Monguno last week rejected calls for the use of mercenaries.

He said President Muhammadu Buhari was against the idea while also insisting that Nigeria has enough human and material resources to overcome insecurity without foreign help.