Chief of Army staff, Major General Burutai
The newly appointed Chief of Army staff and Borno State-born Major
General, who took over command of the nation’s army last week, said he
was ready to lead soldiers to the dens and enclaves of the Boko Haram.
Major General Burutai re-christened the operational code of the
counter insurgency efforts from “Operation Zaman Lafiya” to “Operation
Zaman Lafiya Dole” – which in Hausa means ‘the quest for peace becomes a
must’.
Gen. Buratai, who was in neighboring Yobe State to celebrate the
Islamic eid-el-fitri festival with Nigerian troops, moved to Borno on
Sunday afternoon.
He arrived Maiduguri by road and was received by the Borno State
Deputy Governor, Zannah Mustapha, who immediately accompanied the army
boss to visit the 103 Battalion of the 7 Division, Maiduguri in Konduga
Town where they met the troops and hailed their courage and gallantry.
In his address, the army chief called for general collaboration
amongst the troops and other security agencies as well as the general
public in curtailing activities of the Boko Haram.
Burutai stressed that without the synergy of intelligence amongst
all security forces, it would be difficult to defeat Boko Haram whose
insurgency has caused the death of over 15,000 people since 2009.
“The ongoing activities of Boko Haram is assuming an alarming dimensions in Borno state and other parts of the north east,” he said. “We
will not tolerate the killing of citizens and destruction of property;
in as much as we urge you (troops) to adhere strictly to human rights
abuses, the time to crush Hoko Haram and other criminal activities in
this country is now or never.”
Mr. Buratai further told the soldiers that “as Chief of Army
Staff, I will be actively involved in this ‘Operation Zaman Lafiya Dole’
to end the madness of Boko Haram if I will have your collective maximum
support and cooperation.
“My doors will always remain open to all of you for
constructive criticism and advice towards restoration of peace in this
part of the country.
“Therefore, we are here to identify with you and to officially
inform you that as from today henceforth, we have changed our
Operational Code from ‘Operation Zaman Lafiya’ to ‘Operation Zaman
Lafiya Dole’.
Earlier in his address, the Deputy Governor thanked the Army Chief and the General Officers Commanding 7 and 3 Divisions for “taking their time to visit the state to see the gallant troops”.
He promised that “the state government will continue to support
the military and other security agencies in the fight against Boko
Haram that have sacked almost 22 local government areas of the state
with thousands of people mostly villagers killed and millions
displaced”.
Mr. Buratai later paid a courtesy visit to the of the Shehu of
Borno, Abubakar Elkanemi, where he informed the monarch about his new
mission for the state.
“We will reinforce the security. The government is not happy
about the insecurity in the northeast. It is our desire to have a
responsible and professional army that is responsive in the discharge of
its duty.
“We will need the support of the royal father and the people of Borno so that we will ensure peace returns here.
“Since Boko Haram terrorists have refused peace (Zaman Lafiya), we will now force them to accept peace,” he said.
“The peace that permeated Borno and transcended Lake Chad will
soon return. My wish was to clear Konduga of Boko Haram vestige so that
people can return home to rebuild their houses,” the army chief added.
In his response, the Shehu of Borno said, “Boko Haram was not initiated by Borno people but those who came to live from neighbouring states.
“Most of the people of Borno are either farmers or traders, very accommodating and receptive.”
He noted that “the challenges of managing the IDPs was enormous and nothing could be better than ending the security situation.”
He pledged to support the military in the discharge of its duties.
No comments :
Post a Comment