This comes against the backdrop of the killing of 30 travellers by the terrorists on Sunday in Auno town near Maiduguri, the state capital.

The governor complained about the security situation in the state when he met with President Muhammadu Buhari who visited Maiduguri shortly after he returned from Ethiopia on Wednesday.

“We are surprised that there seems to be a resurgence in 2019,” he was quoted as saying in a statement by the President’s spokesman, Garba Shehu.

Recalling the situation before President Buhari assumed office in 2015, Zulum said “Roads were closed, there were sporadic bombings everywhere even within the metropolis. Close to 20 local government areas were under Boko Haram.”

He, however, thanked the President for identifying with the state in its trying times and praised the efforts of the military so far.

The governor tasked the military to borrow from their successes, especially between 2015 – 2017 and take the battle to the insurgents and push them to the fringes of Lake Chad.

He also urged the security agencies to be patient with the civilian populace and give opportunities to the Internally Displaced Persons to access their communities in order to return to their occupations.

In his remarks, President Buhari revealed that the Federal Government was taking more proactive and decisive measures to put to an end to the Boko Haram menace in the country once and for all.

To achieve the objectives, he stressed that intelligence sharing and synergy between law enforcement agencies and the civil populace were critical.

“I assure you that improvement in security will be pursued vigorously. The military will work harder and strategise with tactics to deal with the insurgents.

“This is, however, not possible without good intelligence and cooperation with local community leaders,” the President stated.