The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, on Monday updated President Muhammadu Buhari on the successes recorded in the fight against insurgency in the North-East, saying 1,429 insurgents were neutralised in the last two months.

Buratai, who made this known after updating the President on the ongoing military operations against terrorist groups, revealed that 116 Boko Haram informants were also apprehended.

He said: “The troops are putting in their best and that has resulted in the tremendous successes we are recording.

“The fight is still ongoing and over 1,429 of this Boko Haram terrorists have been neutralised and we have arrested over 166 Boko Haram terrorists informants, their spies, couriers on logistics and their coordinators in the villages, the towns and even the forest.

“So, this is a tremendous achievement, our intelligence corps along with the Department of State Services and of course our good friends the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), have worked very hard to see that this is achieved and I assure you that things will continue to improve as the days go by.”

Buratai, who has been at the theatre of war in the North-East for the past two months, said that the President was pleased with the performance of the nation’s troops in the battle fields.

“I came in from the North-East just a day ago and it behooves on me to brief the President on what transpired there during the two months I stayed there.

“I have given him details of what the troops are doing and what we have achieved as well as what we intend to achieve in the nearest future”.

“So far so good, even before I came, the President has been getting reports on what is happening in the North-East. So, with this brief that I gave him this morning, its further confirmation of what he has been receiving and so far,” he said.

Buratai expressed the readiness of the military to continue to deal with the situation, not only in the North-East but all other parts of the country.

“Tremendous success has been achieved and we are very happy with what is going on, the morale of the troops in the trenches is very high at the moment, and their loyalty and commitment is not in doubt”.

“Surely you will agree with me that the troops’ morale is very high; it is something of trust, something of confidence, and something that will raise the spirit of any officer or soldier when he sees his Chief of Army Staff in the trenches along with him”.

“This has raised the morale of the troops and has also made them to put in their best and that is what has resulted in us doing so well and it’s still on going,” he said.

The Chief of Army Staff, who announced that he would soon return to the battle fields to complete the fight against the insurgents, said the military would continue to tackle all forms of security challenges in collaboration with all other security agencies.

He lauded the efforts and loyalty of the officers and men of the Nigerian Army.

“We have very loyal and courageous officers and soldiers. While in the battle field there, some of them were even ready to take the bullet for me.

“So, I am very much impressed and happy with my officers and soldiers. This is to show the level of morale that they had while I was there and I will continue to be with them, to raise their morale,” he said. 

Meanwhile Sen. Ali Ndume (APC-Borno), says the relocation of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai to the Northeast has significantly impacted on the fight against Boko Haram insurgency.

Ndume, who is the Chairman of Senate Committee on Nigerian Army made this known in Maiduguri on Monday while speaking with newsmen.

He said many successes had been recorded within the two months stay of Buratai in the area, saying that what was remaining was the final uprooting of the insurgents in Lake Chad fringes, Sambisa forest and Mandara Mountain.

“Definitely the coming of COAS has made visible difference. He has taken a break after two months, to re-strategise because the remaining areas are delicate, because they are mixed with civilians being held hostage by the insurgents”.

“The army needs to sort that out to avoid high level of collateral damage; they need to strategise for the last push,” Ndume said.

He said that the recent sporadic attacks on soft targets by the insurgents were normal as they become desperate after being defeated by the military.
Ndume lamented the delay in releasing funds for military capital projects, adding that the military and other security agencies needed to be given all the needed support to discharge their assigned tasks.

“I don’t know what happened from Thursday that I left Abuja, but before Thursday you can quote me on that, no money has been released to the army as their capital allocation 2020 and we are in June”.

“The president has been giving presidential orders on tackling insecurity but some people responsible for providing the army with funding are not responding. That’s what is baffling me,” he said. (NAN)