North-East Insurgency: We Want To End It Once And For All, Says Army Chief

The Chief of Army Staff, Major-General Farouk Yahaya on Saturday said the army is committed to ending the insurgency in the North-East.

The army chief made the comment while on an operation visit to frontline troops of Sector 2, Joint Taskforce of the Nigeria Army ‘Operation Hadin Kai’ in Damaturu, Yobe State.

Major-General Yahaya said ending the insurgency will allow the army move on to other things.

The North-East insurgency has roiled on for over a decade, spearheaded by terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and now ISWAP.

“We want to conclude this operation in the North-East,” Major-General Yahaya said, “so that we can do other things; and that is the drive now.”

Working Together
After inspecting the Quarter Guard in his honour, the Chief of Army Staff was received by the Commander of the Sector 2, Brigadier-General Adamu Nura, alongside other senior officers of the command.

Addressing the troops, the Chief of Army Staff said the purpose of his visit was to familiarise himself with the challenges faced by the troops and ensure those challenges are tackled.

He pledged to work with other military branches, host communities, and sister agencies to restore peace in the region.

“We have been recording some modest success in all areas and we intend to sustain that drive,” he said.

Major-General Yahaya was last at the command on the entourage of the immediate past late Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Ibrahim Attahiru on March 14.

Seeking support
Earlier on Friday, Major-General Yahaya had visited the Shehu of Borno, HRH Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai Elkanemi to seek the collaboration of the traditional institution, as part of strategies to end the insurgency.

The army chief, at the meeting, said such collaborations have paid off in the past.

The Shehu said his institution was committed to supporting the military in the area of intel gathering but warned military authorities against revealing the source of their information like they did in the past.

This unprofessional conduct of early commanders of the counter insurgency war had endangered many leading to mistrust for the military, the traditional ruler said.

The Shehu also said the COAS should prioritize building on past successes by keeping remote roads safe for farmers’ ease of passage.

Troops overpower bandits in Zamfara
Meanwhile, in a statement signed on Saturday, army spokesman, Brigadier-General Onyema Nwachukwu said troops of 8 Division have neutralised bandits operating around Mayanchi-Dogo Karfe and Fagantama villages in Talata Marafa local government area of Zamfara State.

The troops were said to have come under fire from the bandits but were able to overwhelm the gunmen and recovered one PKT rifle, a large cache of ammunition, and a motorcycle.

Elsewhere in the state, troops were also said to have overpowered five more bandits in Bingi village, Bungudu local government area.

Reacting to the feat, Major-General Farouk Yahaya encouraged the troops to sustain the aggressive posture in order to defeat all criminal elements operating in the North-West and other parts of the country.

He also appealed to communities in the North-West to support the soldiers with useful information to help them in their operations.

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