The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Yusuf Burutai has charged
all the commanders,GOCs, officers and men of Nigerian Army to ensure total crushing of Boko Haram terrorists and bandits in the Northern part of Nigeria.
General Burutai gave the charge on Monday at the Army Headquarters in Abuja during a strategic counter terrorism meeting with Principal Staff Officers, General Officers Commanding and Field Commanders of Nigerian Army. He further urged the personnel to ensure that the charge given to the Service Chiefs by President Buhari on the need for total crushing of criminal elements in the North East and North West must be fully implemented.
The COAS said at the meeting that it had become necessary for soldiers to speedily crush the myriad of security threats posed to the nation by Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists in the North East as well as the marauding bandits in the North West.
According to General Burutai, “The criminals and their collaborators and sponsors must be exposed, flushed out and destroyed”.
According to the Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Colonel Sagir Musa during his press briefing after the conference, he stated that General Burutai specifically intended the meeting to serve as a time for action and a time to change the war narrative. He added that the meeting was a wake up call in the efforts of Nigerian Army to combat Boko Haram terrorism and insurgency, banditry in the North West as well as the myriad of other security challenges across the country.
Moreso, General Burutai also added that Nigerian Army had already commenced major reorganization of her operations for optimal performances. He further charged all the commanders to lead the charge by being out in the field to effectively oversee the operations. However, Gen Buratai demanded for an all encompassing positive changes in the operations of Nigeria Army and the security situation in the country.
“There is no time for complacency, no time for excuses and there will be no tolerance for shortcomings or failures, the situation must be reversed immediately,”, General Burutai said.
Meanwhile, in the determination to ensure that all security threats in the country are effectively checkmated, the 2020 Nigerian Army Day had been shifted to Katsina State during which a major Army exercise nicknamed Ex Sahel Sanity would be conducted.