Plan to end operations in North East, Buratai orders Commanders

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, has ordered field and operational commanders to inject new ideas to ensure that the Boko Haram insurgency come to an end next year.

He said that a lot of reorganisation and redeployment in the Nigerian Army have been carried out this year in a bid to improve the overall operational responsiveness and professionalism.

General Buratai made the charge during the opening of 2018 COAS Annual Conference in Maiduguri. He said that recent redeployment of some field and operational commanders and reorganisation were done to align with the goal and some of our current realities.

“It is my belief that the Nigerian Army must start to plan and strategise on how to end the operations in the North East,” he said.

“To this end, I have directed for a change from a wholly defensive posture to one where we defend in numbers and conduct offensive operations in smaller packets but simultaneously in different fronts,” he added.

He urged “all commanders and senior leaders of the Nigerian Army to recognise that we are involved in asymmetric warfare which calls for dynamism and flexibility if we are to succeed with minimal casualties.”

General Buratai also spoke about the general elections adding that “as the nation moves towards the 2019 General Elections, the Nigerian Army is conducting Operation SAFE CONDUCT to support other security agencies during the period of elections in the country.

He said: “The Nigerian Army activated the operation on 14 July 2018 during the elections in Ekiti and Osun states and it was a huge success.

We intend to replicate the successes achieved, during the 2019 General Elections because we believe that a secure electoral process will play a critical role in safeguarding our democracy into the future.

“As the Nigerian Army plays its role to safeguard democracy, all Nigerian Army personnel are enjoined to ensure that necessary steps are taken in all circumstances to prevent any act that is inimical to the unity and stability of the country.

Thus, as political activities unfold towards the 2019 General Elections, GOCs and field commanders at all levels are enjoined to continue to remind officers and soldiers under their command to remain non-partisan and be guided by the stipulated code of conduct in the discharge of their duties.