The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt. General Tukur Buratai said on Monday 24th June in Maiduguri, that the military has already worked out a post insurgency stabilization plan to ensure the safety of both military and civilian populace which will result in a drastic reduction of Boko Haram activities in the Northeast.
Speaking during a visit to Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, as part of his operational visit to troops prosecuting the war against terrorism, the COAS said, ““We have worked out post insurgency stabilization plan for the Northeast.
“We are going to operate differently from what we have been doing before in the counter Insurgency war. We are going to facilitate the smooth return of IDPs, work out plans to ensure their safety as they go back and open access roads for the movement of people and goods”.
He however emphasized that counter Insurgency is not for military alone and urged the general public to support the military by giving information through identification of strange faces and movements among them.
Earlier, Borno state Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum appealed to the military to strengthen the capacity of the Civilian Joint Task Force ( CJTF) Vigilantes and hunters to safeguard their immediate communities, as the military don’t have the manpower to be everywhere within the theater.
This he noted is because the military is faced with many challenges of insecurity such as armed banditry, cattle rustling and kidnapping in Zamfara, Katsina and other parts of the country.
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Zulum said “Borno state is ready to spend its last kobo to partner with the Nigerian Army to strengthen our Civilian JTF, vigilantes and local hunters to safeguard our communities“.
Appealing to the military to ensure speedy economic recovery of the Northeast, Prof. Umara said “over 80 percent of our people are farmers and don’t have access to their farmlands.
“The military should work out plan to ensure that our famers have not only access to their farms during farming season but post harvest time. You should also open up our roads for the movement of goods and persons.”
He also implored the COAS to ensure that the local population are allowed to partake in fish and cattle trading to boast the local economy because, presently the common man are not having enough access to the trade.
Professor Umara said “the Borno state government is working hard to address the issue of youth unemployment, food security, and illiteracy because for us to succeed, we have to address the root cause of insurgency, which is illiteracy, unemployment and food security”.
”We have to critically examined the nexus of peace, security and development and draw a post insurgency stabilization plan to end Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast. We need your support and collaboration to achieve that” Prof. Zulum added.
While appreciating the military for liberating Borno from insurgents, he sympathized with the military and the families of those who paid supreme price in safeguarding their nation.
He disclosed that in the past, many parts of the state where occupied by the insurgents and only one road was accessible but today courtesy of the military all areas have been librated and roads opened to ensure speedy economic recovery of the Boko Haram crisis affected Northeast region.
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