Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State has expressed shock over Boko Haram’s use of drones to attack soldiers.

Speaking when he visited Mafa, one of the towns recently attacked by terrorists, the governor said despite well-circulated intelligence, troops could not prevent the attack from happening.

Daily Trust had reported how the terrorists attacked a military checkpoint and another military barrack where the terrorists looted arms and ammunition.

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The governor said the successful use of drones to target a key military asset exposed a critical vulnerability in Nigeria’s airspace security.

“We had credible intelligence that Mafa would be attacked, and it was duly circulated to all relevant authorities. I believe there is a need for us to come together, including the state and federal governments, as well as the military high command, to identify the gaps and address them directly.”

“I believe there might be sabotage within that has to be identified and addressed. We don’t have to blame each other; we have to come together and resolve this situation.

“One thing I want to comment on is the issue of drones. This is frightening. In Dikwa, I was told drones were used. The proliferation of drones, particularly in the hands of non-state actors, is of great concern for the entire country. We have to do something to stop the rampant use of armed drones,” Zulum said.

The governor stressed that the incident is not just a concern for Borno State but a direct threat to national security.

“Our borders need to be strengthened and our airspace needs to be strengthened as well. This is something that we need to address urgently; this is not an issue confined to Borno alone. This is the right time for the security architecture to thoroughly look into strengthening the capability of our airspace to curtail the use of armed drones by terrorists,” he said.

The military had said over 50 terrorists were killed in the attacks across Borno and Yobe communities.