The military authorities have, in compliance
with President Muhammadu Buhari’s May 29
directive, started moving their command
centre to Maiduguri, Borno State, to combat
the activities of Islamist militant group, Boko
Haram.
A statement by the Acting Director, Army
Public Relations, Sani Usman, on Monday,
stated that the advance team had already
commenced work in earnest.
The team, which comprises officers and men
drawn from the Office of the Chief of Army
Staff, all the relevant Army Headquarters
Departments and other combat support
personnel, is led by a two-star General.
Buhari had during his inaugural address
ordered the command centre be moved to
Borno State to give bite to the fight against
insurgency.
The President had said, “The most immediate
is Boko Haram insurgency. Progress has been
made in recent weeks by our security forces
but victory cannot be achieved by basing the
Command and Control Centre in Abuja.
“The command centre will be relocated to
Maiduguri and remain there until Boko
Haram is completely subdued.’’
Usman explained in the statement that the
centre was an “elaboration” of an existing
Army headquarters command and control
arrangement.
The statement reads, “In compliance with the
presidential pronouncement and the Chief of
Army Staff’s directive, a reconnaissance and
advance team for the establishment of
Military Command and Control Centre for
Operation Zaman Lafiya for the fight against
terrorism and insurgency has moved to
Maiduguri, Borno State.
“The team, which is led by a two-star
General, has already commenced work in
earnest and it is comprised of elements of the
Office of the CAS, all the relevant Army
headquarters departments and other combat
support components. The centre will serve as
a forward command base for the CAS and
other service chiefs.”
The military stated that the centre would
not create another layer of command
structure, but would add impetus and
renewed vigour to Operation Zaman Lafiya,
which is “aimed at bringing terrorism and
insurgency to an end.”
It added that an alternate command centre
was also being established in Yola, Adamawa
State.
Meanwhile, Buhari has sought greater support
and cooperation from France and other
friendly nations for his administration’s
ongoing efforts to overcome the Boko Haram
challenge and restore normalcy to the North-
East.
Specifically, Buhari said on Monday that
Nigeria would appreciate more intelligence on
the sect’s link with the Islamic States of Iraq
and Syria.
He made the request at a meeting he had
with President Francois Hollande of France
after his participation in Monday’s G-7
Outreach Programme, in Elmau, Germany.
Buhari, in a statement by his Senior Special
Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam
Garba Shehu, said his administration would
also appreciate more intelligence on the
sect’s movements, training and sources of
arms and ammunition.
He said the intelligence was necessary to
facilitate the perfection of fresh tactics and
strategies being evolved to overcome
terrorism and insurgency in the country and
the West African sub-region.
The President reaffirmed his government’s
commitment to ending Boko Haram
insurgency in the shortest possible time.
He said his administration was already
taking some concrete actions to build a more
efficient and effective coalition of Nigeria and
neighbouring countries against Boko Haram.
Buhari also reiterated at the talks with his
French counterpart that there was absolutely
no link between religion and the atrocities of
Boko Haram.
“There is clearly no religious basis for the
actions of the group. Their atrocities show
that members of the group either do not know
God at all or they don’t believe in him,” he
said.
Hollande was said to have commended
Buhari’s efforts to galvanise Nigeria’s
armed forces, security agencies and
neighouring countries for more decisive
actions against Boko Haram.
The French leader assured Buhari that France
would give Nigeria and its coalition partners
greater support against terrorism and
insecurity.
He also called for greater bilateral
cooperation between Nigeria and France in
other areas including trade, economic and
cultural relations.
Buhari also received similar pledges of
enhanced support from Prime Minister
Stephen Harper of Canada and Chancellor
Angela Merkel who he also conferred with
before departing from the venue of the G-7
2015 Summit.
source: punch