By Abdulkareem Haruna

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General  Olufemi Oluyede, has attributed the recent resurgence of Boko Haram attacks in Borno State—including a series of devastating suicide bombings—to the complicity of local residents in both Borno and Yobe states.
The Defence Chief made this assertion in Maiduguri on Wednesday during a visit following multiple suicide bombings that claimed nearly forty lives and injured approximately one hundred others.
Accompanied by the service chiefs, the CDS arrived in Maiduguri at approximately 10:30 AM and drove directly to Mai Malari Barracks, the headquarters of Operation Hadin Kai. There, he held a three-hour closed-door meeting with troop commanders. While the specific details of the discussion remained undisclosed, the service chiefs emerged for a brief group photograph before addressing the press.
Responding to questions, the CDS stated that the military has reviewed its strategy to tackle the recent upsurge in violence, which he described as a typical attempt by Boko Haram to undermine security during the month of Ramadan.
He clarified that recent attacks on the military were not due to troop vulnerability, but rather the deliberate complicity of locals who, he alleged, often harbor insurgents during operations.
“When our troops location was attacked in Kukawa, after the attack when our troops are conducting cordone afterwards we found out that two of the people that came to attack Kukawa, the injured ones, were inside that village – that means the people are complicit. If we want to bring this to an end, all hands must be on deck. Qnd people must resolve that this has to end. And we must take ownership to this problem. That is my message to the people of Borno and Yobe state.”
Regarding the use of modern technology to combat insurgents—who have begun using drones for attacks—General Olukayode stated that the Nigerian military has embarked on massive investments in top-notch drone technology to end the insurgency.
“The use of technology is evolving and we responding accordingly; and we are getting drone jammers. We are looking at the technologies that they are using, so that we can do research and improve on it to check mate what they are doing. As we speak, the major thing we are doing in that regard is we are deploying drone jammers.”