Redeployed Troops from Rivers to Borno –  Ex DSS Boss Tells Tinubu

A former Assistant Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Dennis Amachree has called for the redeployment of troops currently enforcing emergency rule in Rivers State to combat escalating insurgency in Borno State, North-East Nigeria.

Amachree who disclosed this yesterday in Port-Harcourt, argued that the oil-rich southern state does not face a crisis severe enough to justify the heavy military presence, while Borno’s worsening security situation demands urgent attention.

“There is no serious problem going on in Rivers State where we will say let’s send all our troops there. We don’t have a large army,” Amachree stated. “Our territorial integrity is in question right now, and the reputational risk is very high. So, are we going to allow these people to continue doing what they are doing?”

Highlighting the need for nationwide security, he added, “Every Nigerian has to feel secure. Why don’t we move all those soldiers and troops we have in Rivers State doing a state of emergency to Borno State? That has been done before and solved the problem. I think that is where we need a state of emergency right now.”

Amachree’s comments come amid growing concerns over terrorist activities in Borno, where Governor Babagana Zulum recently warned that insurgents are gaining ground. The former DSS official described Zulum’s alarm as a critical signal that must be heeded, endorsing the idea of declaring a state of emergency in the embattled state. However, he opposed any move to suspend Zulum, praising the governor’s leadership.

“We’ve done it [state of emergency in Borno] before, and this time you don’t have to remove the governor because I think that Governor Zulum is doing a fantastic job; he’s one of the most serious governors in Nigeria,” Amachree said. “He can be there, but let the military take over the other parts of operations and make sure they clear out these bandits and terrorists.”

Borno State, located along Nigeria’s northeastern border, has been a hotspot of violence for over a decade, plagued by attacks from Boko Haram and the Islamic State’s West Africa Province. The relentless assaults have claimed numerous civilian and military lives, displaced thousands of residents, and forced many into internally displaced persons camps across the region.