MILITARY MOVES HEADQUARTERS TO MAIDUGURI

Military authorities yesterday announced the establishment of its Command and Control Centre in Maiduguri, Borno State, in compliance with the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari.

President Buhari, at his inaugural speech on May 29, had ordered relocation of the Command and Control Centre to the war theatre in the North East to face the Boko Haram insurgency.

In a statement issued by the Director of Army Public Relations, DAPR, Col. Sani Usman, the Nigerian Army said an alternate command centre is also being established in Yola, Adamawa State.

The centre, according to the Army Headquarters, would serve as a forward command base for operations as well as house the Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Chief of Naval Staff, CNS and Chief of Air Staff, CAS.

It was learnt that the service chiefs were seriously making plans to relocate as they are expected to operate from Maiduguri and be directly involved in the operations.

“A reconnaissance and advance team for the establishment of the Military Command and Control Centre (MCCC) for ‘Operation Zaman Lafiya’ for the fight against terrorism and insurgency has moved to Maiduguri.

“The team, which is led by a two-star General, has already commenced work in earnest and it comprises elements of the Office of the Chief of Army Staff, all the relevant Army Headquarters Departments and other combat support components.

“The centre will serve as a forward command base for the Chief of Army Staff and other service chiefs.

“The centre is essentially an elaboration of an already existing Army Headquarters Command and Control arrangement. “From now on, the fight against terrorism and insurgency would be monitored, coordinated and controlled from this centre.

“I wish to inform you also that its establishment would not create another layer of command structure but would add impetus and renewed vigour to ‘Operation Zaman Lafiya,’ all aimed at bringing terrorism and insurgency to an end.

“An alternate command centre is also being established in Yola,” Usman said.

The Boko Haram insurgency has led to the death of thousands of people and the dislocation of millions of others since 2009. Crushing the insurgency was one of the campaign promises of President Buhari, who, as a former military Head of State said he had the antidote to solving the problem.

Apart from the directive to relocate the military command, the President also embarked on visits to Chad and Niger Republics to strengthen the existing agreements with those countries in the anti-terrorism war.

Meanwhile, President Buhari yesterday in Elmau, Germany, reaffirmed his administration’s total commitment to ending the Boko Haram insurgency in the shortest possible time.

Speaking at a meeting with President Francois Hollande of France after his participation in the G-7 outreach programme, Buhari said Nigeria would welcome greater support and cooperation from France and other friendly nations for its ongoing efforts to overcome the sect and restore full security and normalcy to areas affected by the group’s atrocities.

The President said his administration is already taking concrete actions to build a more efficient and effective coalition of Nigeria and neighbouring countries against the insurgents.

Nigeria, he said, would appreciate more intelligence on the terrorist group’s links with the Islamic State, ISIS, movements, training and sources of its arms and ammunition to facilitate the perfection of fresh tactics and strategies being evolved by the country and its allies in the sub-region.

Buhari reiterated that there is 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.

In his remarks, Hollande commended Buhari’s concerted efforts to galvanise Nigeria’s armed forces and neighbouring countries for more dntries for more decisive action to eradicate the sect.

Hollande assured Buhari that France would give Nigeria and its coalition partners, greater support, including military and intelligence cooperation, to help them overcome the security challenge posed by Boko Haram and its global terrorist allies as quickly as possible.

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 of Germany, who he also conferred with before departing the summit.

The President is due back in Abuja today.

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