Set fire to forests harbouring terrorists, CCT Chairman tells FG

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Set fire to forests harbouring terrorists, CCT Chairman tells FG

……unbundle NPF

The Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Mainasara Umar Kogo, has advised the federal government to set fire to the nine forests harbouring terrorists and thereafter turn them into agricultural fields.

Mainasara made the suggestion in a paper he presented at the 2025 National Annual Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Conference organised by Gamji Heritage in Kaduna.

He listed the nine forests harbouring the terrorists as Sambisa, Mandara Mountain, Falgore, Rugu, Birnin Gwari, Shinkafi, Sabon Birni, Dansadau, and Sarkin Fawa forest.

According to him, the forests should be graded down and turned to ashes.

“This will automatically kill the terrorists and deny their remnants the shelter they get from the bushes. Then, turn the areas into belts of industrial commercial agriculture.”

This, he said, will make food more available to the people and offer employment to the vast majority of the youth population.

“Then, create industrial farms with network of roads, farming housing settlements, the nucleus of which will spring up new hamlets and towns. Then cluster industries will spring up, e.g, textiles, confectionery, noodles, flour, and oil mill, to beep up economic activities that will gain foreign exchange earnings for Nigeria.”

He said that the Police should be left to handle all matters of internal security and suggested that the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) be unbundled into specialised services for greater impact.

Kogo said that the NPF should be unbundled to create a National Border Security Police, National Ports Police, National Airport Police, National Cybercrime Police, and National Anti-Terrorism Police.

“After this, incorporate all changes in sections 214-216 of the Constitution, which gives the power of territorial internal security to the Nigeria Police, and Sections 217-219 of the Constitution that says police can seek reinforcement from other security formations if the problems before them are overwhelming. In short, leave the police to coordinate all matters of internal security.”

He noted that the whole concept of insurgency is ethical in nature, as such efforts must be made at government and community levels to prevent the pollution of the minds of people, especially the youth, towards dogmatic ideological indoctrination.

The CCT chairman said Nigeria should collaborate with its neighbours to tackle cross-border movement of terrorists, and to seek the support of major powers to expose terrorism funding sources.

Kogo added that Nigeria should review the recommendations of the various committees on terrorism in the country, identify and expose local financiers and collaborators, and ensure proper punishment for culprits.

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