The Centre for International and Strategic Studies (CISS) has hailed the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai for the feat achieved in the war against Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists since relocating to the northeast.
The Centre gave this commendation in its bi-monthly report on the state of the war against terrorism and the operations of the Nigerian Military co-signed by its Chancellor, Professor Ahmed Danfulani and Senior Research Fellow, Dr Samson Bello.
According to the Centre, the Nigerian troops have made tremendous progress in the war against the terrorists since 2015 but gained massive momentum in the last two months.
Highlighting the achievements, the Centre revealed that while over 250 insurgents surrendered voluntarily due to immense offensives of the troop, no fewer than 1200 have been killed in different operations led by the COAS.
The Army Chief’s doggedness, bravery and resilience, the Centre reckoned has rubbed off on his troops whose morale and operational effectiveness have been boosted.
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In other to achieve a similar result, the Centre, however, urged the leadership of other security agencies to take a cue from the COAS to address the myriads of security challenges in the country.
It added that Lt. Gen. Buratai is indeed “a worthy example that must be emulated by heads of security agencies in the country in ensuring that our officers and men are in high spirits in pursuant of the task of maintaining law and order”.
The report said: “In the last two months, the gains recorded are phenomenal with the relocation of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai to the theatre of operations in North-East Nigeria. The number of terrorist that surrendered in the last two months stands at a figure of 250, while those killed by the Nigerian Military stands at over 1200 in the past two months of intensified military operations led by the Chief of Army Staff in North-East Nigeria.
“In the last two months, the various rescue operations of the Nigerian Army has led to the rescue of over 600 women and children from Boko Haram captivity spread across multiple locations in North-East Nigeria. This feat was as a result of the renewed commitment by the Nigerian Army in its onslaught against the Boko Haram group that was coordinated by the Chief of Army Staff.
“The presence of the Chief of Army Staff in the theatre of operations has indeed boosted the morale and operational effectiveness of the Nigerian Military in North-East Nigeria. The troops have been continually engaging the Boko Haram group, and this has led to scores of overtures made by the Boko Haram fighters signifying their willingness to dialogue for a ceasefire”.
In its recommendation, the report said “the routine presence of the Chief of Army Staff in the theatre of operations in North-East Nigeria, which had been a significant strategy of the Nigerian Army leadership has shown a significant impact on the war against Boko Haram insurgency in North-East Nigeria. This must be sustained as a culture and spread across the whole armed forces and security apparatus in Nigeria.
“The precarious situation that Nigeria has found herself demands that all state actors must take the welfare of their personnel seriously and must be in the trenches with the troops providing psychological support using the example of the Chief of Army Staff and the Nigerian Army”.
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