By Henry Okoro,
Worried by the alleged killing of over one hundred Nigerian soldiers by the Abubakar Shekau led BokoHaram Insurgents , in Metele Military Task Force Camp in Borno state, President Muhammadu Buhari appears to have set the machinery in motion to finally crush the insurgents before the 2019 general elections. This is to enable the people of the north east , geo-political region, particular, Borno state, to exercise their franchise of voting in the general elections.
A s a prelude of overrunning the Bokoharam militants, an angry Buhari has said to have given a matching order to Tukur Buratai, a Lt. General and Chief of Army Staff, to relocate to Borno, where the activities of the Insurgents are still very much felt until the security situations in the entire north eastern states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states improve that people could move freely without fear of being attacked .
It would be recalled that Elkanemi Abubakar, the Shehu of Borno had told the President in his Palace last Wednesday that the” state is under siege of the Insurgents” as the security operatives have no answer to their operation. This is because of the ease at which they kill both soldiers and civilian populations in the state, an indication that there may be a mole within the military circles.
Buratai, who is an indigene of Borno state may not be the only top Army Chief that may relocate his office to Maiduguri, the Borno state Capital,, Dan Ali, a retired Brig. General and minister of Defense said the General Officer Commanding, GOC, 8 Division, Nigerian Army should also be warming up to relocate his Tactical Headquarters operations from Sokoto to Gusau, Capital of Zamfara state to oversee the conduct of Operation ”Sharan Daji” that was launched early this year to flush out banditry in the state.
According to Ali, the decision by the government to relocate the Operational base of Buratai and the GOC in-charge of 8 Division, Nigerian Army, was a fallout of the Army Council meeting held in Abuja, recently. The meeting, the minister further said had considered and approved the promotion of qualified senior officers to their next ranks, particular those involved in fighting the troops in different parts of the country as a way of boosting their morale.
Tukur Gusau, a Colonel and the ministry of Defense Spokesman in a Statement confirmed that the President has given approval for the enhancement of the welfare of the troops, particularly those fighting in the war torn north eastern states of the country.
Perhaps to ensure that the fighting troops in the north east and other operational areas within the country have better fighting equipment to confront the Insurgents, Buhari was said to have ordered emergency procurement of critical equipment for the troops. It would be recalled that the major complaints of the soldiers deployed to the north east over the years to engage the Borko Haram insurgents for control of the soul of the region was dearth of critical fighting equipment compared to the weapons used by the Insurgents.
Many believe that if the equipment that had been ordered by Buhari could arrive the country in good time, the President ‘s plot to flush out the militants from the north east would be achieved without worry. He had vowed last week to ”wipe out the BokoHaram madness” in the country to redeem the promise made on assumptions of duty on May 29, 2015.
Those who are conversant with Buhari Administrative policy knew that he had never minced words on his commitment to give maximum support to the military to prosecute the war in the north with BokoHaram. He had also made it clear to those that care to listen that one of the cardinal objectives of his Administration was to ensure adequate security of lives and property in the country. But that was how far he could go.
Until the BokoHaram insurgents are completely wiped out from Nigeria soil, security expert believed that there is nothing the Katsina state born Nigerian President may vow to do to tame the Insurgents that would be taken seriously by the people as they would see it as one of those Presidential assurances aimed at buying time while people are killed and kidnapped daily.
