The paramount ruler of the Hong people in Adamawa State, Tol Huba Alheri Nyako, has called on the Federal Government to deploy more troops to the area, following renewed Boko Haram attacks.
Nyako made the appeal on Tuesday while addressing newsmen in Hong, headquarters of Hong Local Government Area.
The monarch said the resurgence of insurgent attacks in communities near the Sambisa Forest posed a serious threat to lives and livelihoods, particularly with the start of the farming season.
“Just last month, 10 local hunters who were serving as vigilantes were killed by Boko Haram in Kwapre village,” he said.
A relative of one of the slain hunters, Markus Musa, told NAN that many residents had been displaced from their villages.
“We left Kopre because of the attacks. My brother joined the vigilantes to help protect the area, but they were outgunned,” he said.
Nyako blamed the insecurity on the absence of an Air Force operational base in Adamawa State, saying it left the region exposed to air and land raids by insurgents.
He appealed for aerial support from the Nigerian Air Force and increased ground troop presence in border communities.
He also urged the state government to equip local vigilantes and hunters with modern weapons to strengthen community defense efforts.
“If vigilantes are better armed, they can defend our communities more effectively,” he said.
The monarch warned that continued insecurity would hamper farming and force more residents to flee their ancestral homes
