Insurgency: Defence Minister, Service Chiefs visit Maiduguri

The Minister of Defence, Muhammad Badaru Abubakar, on Tuesday, paid an operational visit to the Theatre Command, Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), in Maiduguri.

Abubakar was accompanied in the visit by the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Mattawalle, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Musa, Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal, Hassan Abubakar, Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, and Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI), Maj.-Gen. Emmanuel Undiandeye.

The Minister said that he was in Maiduguri with the high-level delegation of the Service Chiefs assigned by President Bola Tinubu to assess the security situation in the theatre of operations.

“President Tinubu asked us to visit the governor, the good people of Borno, and our patriotic officers here in Borno to see and hear from them what is happening both on the frontlines and in the cities.

“What is the progress being made, and what do we need to do more to support their operations?

“We had frank discussions with Gov. Bagana Zulum before coming here, where we discussed the way forward, and it is our resolve that in no distant future, we will see the end of the insecurity.

“He had also shared a lot of strategies with the CDS and the service chiefs, and together they agreed on the next line of action, and I believe if followed religiously, insecurity in the state will come to an end,” the minister said.

Abubakar reitrated commitment of the president to support the military and security agencies to end insurgency and restore peace to ensure sustainable resettlement of displaced persons.

“From here, we will go to see our troops, greet and thank them for their sacrifices, for being there and taking the bullet for us, for all the work that they are doing, as well as hear from them on their challenges and needs so that we can best resolve them.

“The crop of leaders we have in the military are working hand in hand together and have resolved to fight this war diligently, and they are working as a family committed to seeing the end of the menace in no distant future.

The Minister commended Zulum for his support of the military, adding that “we appreciate all the support; sometimes you risk your life in supporting and giving courage to our personnel on the frontlines.”

Responding, Zulum said the visit to the theatre demonstrated the commitment of service chiefs towards achieving lasting peace in the state.

He said the security situation in the state had improved tremendously as a result of the successes recorded by the troops.

The governor cautioned against sensational security reportage, noting that the insurgents leverage such information to breathe despite its diminishing capacity.

“Within the last two weeks, I have been to the nooks and crannies of the state, and reports reaching me from stakeholders in these areas indicate that peace has returned in the state,” he said.

While lauding President Tinubu and the military for sustaining the improved security situation in the state, Zulum urged them to root out the remnants of the terrorists.

“The only way we can degrade their presence is through continued and sustained military operations,” he said.

He said that about 160,000 insurgent fighters and their family members had surrendered due to the non-kinetic effort of the military.

The governor sought the support of the military in terms of manpower development to enable the state to curtail transborder small arms and light weapons proliferation.

“We have insurgency in other parts of the country, but security in the northeast is very important for the stability of the country because of the porous borders with Niger, Cameroon, and the Chad Republic.

“We have to ensure that we don’t have a haven for ISWAP in the northeast, as the Sahel is now a major problem,” he said.

The Minister of Defence, Muhammad Badaru Abubakar, on Tuesday, paid an operational visit to the Theatre Command, Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), in Maiduguri.

Abubakar was accompanied in the visit by the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Mattawalle, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Musa, Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal, Hassan Abubakar, Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, and Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI), Maj.-Gen. Emmanuel Undiandeye.

The Minister said that he was in Maiduguri with the high-level delegation of the Service Chiefs assigned by President Bola Tinubu to assess the security situation in the theatre of operations.

“President Tinubu asked us to visit the governor, the good people of Borno, and our patriotic officers here in Borno to see and hear from them what is happening both on the frontlines and in the cities.

“What is the progress being made, and what do we need to do more to support their operations?

“We had frank discussions with Gov. Bagana Zulum before coming here, where we discussed the way forward, and it is our resolve that in no distant future, we will see the end of the insecurity.

“He had also shared a lot of strategies with the CDS and the service chiefs, and together they agreed on the next line of action, and I believe if followed religiously, insecurity in the state will come to an end,” the minister said.

Abubakar reitrated commitment of the president to support the military and security agencies to end insurgency and restore peace to ensure sustainable resettlement of displaced persons.

“From here, we will go to see our troops, greet and thank them for their sacrifices, for being there and taking the bullet for us, for all the work that they are doing, as well as hear from them on their challenges and needs so that we can best resolve them.

“The crop of leaders we have in the military are working hand in hand together and have resolved to fight this war diligently, and they are working as a family committed to seeing the end of the menace in no distant future.

The Minister commended Zulum for his support of the military, adding that “we appreciate all the support; sometimes you risk your life in supporting and giving courage to our personnel on the frontlines.”

Responding, Zulum said the visit to the theatre demonstrated the commitment of service chiefs towards achieving lasting peace in the state.

He said the security situation in the state had improved tremendously as a result of the successes recorded by the troops.

The governor cautioned against sensational security reportage, noting that the insurgents leverage such information to breathe despite its diminishing capacity.

“Within the last two weeks, I have been to the nooks and crannies of the state, and reports reaching me from stakeholders in these areas indicate that peace has returned in the state,” he said.

While lauding President Tinubu and the military for sustaining the improved security situation in the state, Zulum urged them to root out the remnants of the terrorists.

“The only way we can degrade their presence is through continued and sustained military operations,” he said.

He said that about 160,000 insurgent fighters and their family members had surrendered due to the non-kinetic effort of the military.

The governor sought the support of the military in terms of manpower development to enable the state to curtail transborder small arms and light weapons proliferation.

“We have insurgency in other parts of the country, but security in the northeast is very important for the stability of the country because of the porous borders with Niger, Cameroon, and the Chad Republic.

“We have to ensure that we don’t have a haven for ISWAP in the northeast, as the Sahel is now a major problem,” he said.