Nigeria’s Borno Governor Says Insurgency Has Fallen by 90%, Urges Swiss Backing for Postwar Recovery
The governor of Borno State, in northeastern Nigeria once the epicenter of the Boko Haram insurgency said this week that militant activity in the region has fallen by about 90 percent, a shift he attributed to years of security operations and a mass surrender of fighters.
Governor Babagana Umara Zulum said that more than 300,000 insurgents and their family members have laid down their arms over the past four years. He made the remarks on Monday during a meeting with Switzerland’s new ambassador to Nigeria, Patrick Egloff, at the Government House in Maiduguri, the state capital.
“The security situation in Borno has greatly improved,” Mr. Zulum said, noting that many communities displaced by more than a decade of violence have returned home to farm and rebuild. “Borno State is now largely peaceful.
Notwithstanding intermittent attacks in some areas, most resettled communities have been able to cultivate their farmlands, and their means of livelihood have significantly improved.”
The Boko Haram insurgency, which began in 2009, has displaced millions and killed tens of thousands across Nigeria’s northeast, spilling into neighboring Cameroon, Chad, and Niger. Though violence has declined in recent years, sporadic attacks by remnants of Boko Haram and its splinter group, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), continue to unsettle the region.
Mr. Zulum, a former university professor known for his hands-on leadership, thanked the Swiss government for its humanitarian contributions, including aid provided after devastating floods in 2024 that struck Maiduguri and surrounding districts.
“On behalf of the government and people of Borno State, I wish to extend our appreciation to the Swiss government for its intervention through the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund for emergencies in the North East and the 2024 flood disaster,” the governor said.
He urged Switzerland to expand its partnership with Borno to support victims of the insurgency, bolster peace-building programs, and strengthen mediation efforts aimed at sustaining stability.
“We look forward to working with you to see how funding can be increased in some critical areas, especially in supporting the victims of the Boko Haram insurgency, and how we might collaborate in the field of mediation,” he said.
The governor also promoted what he called the “Borno Model,” a local initiative for the deradicalization and reintegration of repentant insurgents a program that has drawn both praise and skepticism among Nigerians still reeling from years of war. Mr. Zulum said international support would be crucial to maintaining the effort.
Ambassador Egloff, making his first official visit outside Abuja since assuming the office, commended Mr. Zulum’s leadership style, calling it “very much in line with European models” for its close engagement with citizens.
“The leadership you provide is extremely important,” Mr. Egloff said.
The ambassador was accompanied by Aline Burki, a senior program officer at the Swiss Embassy, and Ahmed Abdullahi, a senior program adviser.
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