Buratai: We are Still Searching for Chibok Girls

Buratai: We are Still Searching for Chibok Girls

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, yesterday said the search for the remaining abducted Chibok girls was still on.

Buratai also said the activities of Boko Haram have been confined to Lake Chad region and fringes of Sambisa forest.

He spoke yesterday while delivering the maiden lecture of the Centre for Contemporary Security Affairs at the Igbinedion University, Okada in Edo State.

He stated that the complex security challenges like the Boko Haram activities required political and security solutions that will ensure democracy rebound stronger after a crisis.

Buratai said the Government of President Muhammadu Buhari has fulfilled the pledge to support the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) by donating the sum of $100 million.

The Army Chief said the current political leadership has demonstrated strong political will, purposeful direction and resources that galvanised the nation against the common enemy

He informed the gathering that adequate resources were provided to re-kit, procure more arms and ammunition, vehicles and other logistics required to prosecute the campaign against insurgency.

According to him, “military leadership invariably draws inspiration from the political leadership and this allows it develop military strategic objectives that are to be achieved.

“One of the silent but radical changes in the operations was changing the orientation and mind-set of troops from a defensive to an offensive posture. We also created the Theatre Command to coordinate the activities of the divisions involved in the operations”,

He further said, “socio-economic activities and free movement of people and goods have resumed in many areas. Significant improvements can be attributed to the systematic campaign led by the Nigerian Army in conjunction with other services and elements of national power

“Success recorded so far is an indication that for Nigeria’s democracy to be consolidated, the military must not only play its part but must also fulfill the constitutional roles assigned to them.”

He assured that the army under his leadership would partner the institution to build officers’ intellectual capacity.

In his speech, the Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Lawrence Ezemonye, said the centre when operational would carry out research that interrogate emerging security challenges of local and global concern

Ezemonye noted that the strategy was to create a Faculty that provides knowledge based interventions for effective enforcement response, being a rich blend of academic researchers in security affairs and practitioners from the military and allied agencies.

Related Articles