Sowore Questions Zulum’s Spending on Boko Haram Rehabilitation and Security

Human rights activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has raised fresh concerns over the Borno State government’s spending on security and its controversial “rehabilitation” programme for Boko Haram fighters. In a post shared on his verified social media accounts on Friday, Sowore said the recently disclosed figures highlight troubling gaps in transparency while residents continue to suffer recurring attacks.

Sowore’s comments followed a Daily Trust report in which Governor Babagana Zulum claimed his administration spent about ₦100 billion on security this year alone, with ₦7 billion directed toward reintegration of former insurgents. The activist argued that despite these massive allocations, communities remain unsafe, suggesting the programmes are neither effective nor fairly accounted for.

Zulum reportedly made these remarks during a condolence visit to the Emir of Uba, Alhaji Ali Ibn Mamza, after deadly attacks in the Askira/Uba axis left several residents dead. He lamented that worsening insecurity has driven contractors away, halting road construction and other essential projects across the state.

Reacting to the figures, Sowore described the ₦7 billion channelled into the rehabilitation of insurgents as a misplacement of priorities. He stressed that the policy has not reduced violence or improved the security of affected communities, despite the huge funds involved.

According to him, the governor’s repeated claims of high security spending demand an independent audit. Without open and verifiable accounts, Sowore argued, citizens cannot know whether these funds are being used effectively or simply lost in vague claims of “security intervention.”

Sowore wrote, “The Governor of Borno State, Professor Babagana Zulum, has claimed that he spent ₦100 billion on security this year to combat insecurity. Yet this staggering figure remains unaudited and unsupported by transparent accounting, raising serious questions about its credibility and impact. What must also be disclosed is that at least ₦7 billion was spent on the so-called ‘rehabilitation’ of Boko Haram fighters—a policy that has neither ended violence nor delivered security to affected communities.”