PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari yesterday vowed to end the Boko Haram insurgency by procuring modern weapons, improve welfare of soldiers, and enhance military operations in the North East, the epi-centre of the insurgency.
“As President and by the powers conferred on me, I assure you that government will procure modern fighting equipment to end the madness of Boko Haram and other acts of our enemies.
‘’I want to also assure you that government is doing everything to increase the welfare of Nigerian Army,” Buhari said in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, while speaking at the Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Annual Conference.
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The assurance came as the Nigerian Army said it has recovered the bodies of all the soldiers killed during Boko Haram insurgents’ attack on three military bases in Metele, Borno State.
President Buhari, who was special guest of honour, while declaring the conference open and speaking on the theme, “Optimising Efficiency for the Efficiency of the Army in Nigeria’s Democracy,” regretted that some soldiers paid the supreme price in the course of operations against Boko Haram terrorists.
A must-win war
He also commended the leadership of Nigerian Army for moving the conference from Edo to Maiduguri and assured that his administration would continue to give its maximum support to the military, adding that one of the cardinal objectives of his government was to ensure adequate security of lives and property of the citizenry.
He commiserated with the families and relatives of the slain officers and vowed that the war against terrorism was a must-win.
He said: “I have been visiting some of our injured troops in the hospitals and I also spoke to others in their bases to assure them of our continued support. It is a must-win war. I want to encourage our troops not to be distracted but remain focused on the task of eliminating Boko Haram from the face of the earth.
“The Nigerian Army’s commitment to upholding democracy is appropriately captured in the theme of the conference, which is optimising the operational efficiency of the Nigerian Army towards safeguarding democracy in the national security.
“This conference is timely, considering the fact that this government is determined to end security challenges in the North East, Niger-Delta and farmers/herdsmen clashes in some parts of the country.
‘’I want to convey our deep condolences to the families of heroic gallant officers and soldiers who paid the supreme price while maintaining law and order in our fatherland.
“We remain committed to ending the crisis in the North-East and making the entire area safe for all. I urge you all to keep up the good work. I know that you are doing your job to reverse this trend. I want to assure you that no effort will be spared in providing the necessary support you require to complete your task.
“As we approach the 2019 general elections, I want to urge members of our security forces to remain non-partisan and live up to expectations on the rules of engagement, deepen our democratic structure by collaborating with other security agencies in ridding the nation of any violent act that could mar the electoral process.
“I want to specifically condole with family of late General Idris Alkali and the Nigerian Army for his untimely death in the hands of some evil doers. As a government, I want to assure you that we are doing everything possible to bring the perpetrators to book.”
Buhari, who arrived the Maiduguri International Airport at 11:30am, was received by Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State.
He proceeded to the Palace of His Royal Highness, the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai Elkanemi, on a courtesy call, after which he left for the venue of the conference at the Command Guest Inn, Baga Road, Maiduguri.
Maiduguri was shut down amid tight security as President Buhari’s entourage drove through the city. Virtually all the major streets were closed to motorists.
Defence minister seeks co-ordinated operations against insurgents
In his welcome address, the Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan Ali, prayed God to grant eternal life to the souls of gallant officers and soldiers who paid the supreme price to restore peace in the North-East and the country in general.
He said the conference usually brought serving and retired Commanders and other security agencies to brainstorm on the state of ongoing operations against terrorists and other criminals in the country.
He expressed gratitude to President Buhari for giving enormous support to the military forces to confront series of security challenges bedeviling some parts of the country, especially the North-East and Lake Chad Region.
The Minister also commended the service chiefs and other stakeholders for their unrelenting efforts in the fight against Boko Haram and other related security challenges confronting the country, and called for coordinated joint operations among the security agencies to ensure total peace in the land.
Climate change, illiteracy, cause of insurgency – Shettima
Governor Shettima, in his brief remarks, commended security agencies and members of the Civilian JTF for degrading remnants of Boko Haram terrorists in the North-East.
He said before the coming of President Buhari, virtually all major roads leading to Maiduguri were deathtraps, as nobody could move out of the city by a few kilometres without being confronted or attacked by insurgents.
The governor noted that the present administration came as a saving grace to the people of the state and pledged that his door would continue to remain open to all security agencies so that the support needed to end the lingering crisis of insurgency would be given.
He fingered poverty, illiteracy, climatic and other changes in the lake Chad region for the emergence of Boko Haram, which if not properly addressed, might force youths to easily join Boko Haram and other nefarious groups.
Bodies of all soldiers recovered – Army
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army, on its Twitter Handle, yesterday, said it has recovered the bodies of all the soldiers killed during the attack on three military bases in Metele, following reports that the bodies of the slain soldiers and members of the Civilian Joint Task Force were yet to be evacuated.
It said: “For the avoidance of doubt, immediately after the attack, reinforcement was sent to the location. Thereafter, a special search and rescue team, led by a senior military officer, was constituted and equally dispatched.
“The team worked tirelessly, searching all the nooks and crannies of the general area and have evacuated all the gallant troops that paid the supreme price in defence of their fatherland.” (Vanguard)
