THE Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, says the search for the remaining abducted Chibok girls was still on, just as he described the Boko Haram insurgency in the country as the most dangerous among terrorist groups.
Buratai, a Lieutenant General stated this while delivering the maiden lecture of the Centre for Contemporary Security Affairs at the Igbinedion University, Okada Edo State.
According to him, the complex security challenges like the Boko Haram activities required political and security solutions that ensure that democracies rebound stronger after a crisis.
He explained that the government of President Muhammadu Buhari has fulfilled the pledge to support the MNJTF by donating the sum of $100 million even as he praised the current political leadership for demonstrating strong political will, purposeful direction and resourcing that galvanized the nation against the common enemy.
Buratai told 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.
“Military leadership invariably draws inspiration from the political leadership and this allows it to develop military strategic objectives that are to be achieve,” he said
“One of the silent but radical changes in the operations was changing the orientation and mindset 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 “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 NA in conjunction with other Services and elements of national power.
The 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 fulfil the constitutional roles assigned to them.”
Vice Chancellor of the institution, Lawrence Ezemonye, said the centre when operational would carry out research that interrogates emerging security challenges of local and global concern.