Buhari ‘may extend’ December deadline for ending insurgency

President Muhammadu Buhari says the deadline given to the military to end terrorism in parts of the country may be extended.

Buhari, who was represented by the chief of defence staff (CDS), Gabriel Olonisakin, stated this in Dutse at the opening ceremony of the 2015 annual conference of the chief of army staff.

“Let me emphasise that the time frame given should serve as a guide and if exigencies of multiple operations across the country requires modification, the federal government will not hesitate to do so in order to address the flash points that are emerging in parts of the country,” he said.

“The Nigerian Army must, therefore, develop strategies to address the current challenges facing the country and ensure total elimination of the insurgents.”

He said the federal government would assess the present situation and act appropriately in order to end the menace of terrorism in the country.

The president said that the timeline was only a guide meant to guide the military operation. He, therefore, charged the military to develop new strategies to address the emerging challenges in its operations.

“Despite the achievements of the military in combating terrorism in the north east, the challenges of terrorism in other parts of the country remain an issue of serious national concern with the potential to impede our change drive.”

The president reiterated the support of his administration to the armed forces in ensuring that they delivered on their mandates.

He commended the leadership of the armed forces and the Army in particular, for ensuring professionalism and discipline among its ranks, which he noted, had impacted positively on its operations.

Buhari assured Nigerians that the recent gains recorded by the armed forces in the ongoing offensive against Boko Haram, would soon restore sanity to the affected areas.

Meanwhile, Olonisakin, in an interview with newsmen, said efforts were underway to ensure the full deployment of the Multinational Joint Task Force across the Lake Chad region.

According to him, those countries yet to deploy troops for the Multi National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) operations will soon do so.

He said recent talks held with the Nigerien Military High Command were geared toward actualising the goal.

The CDS said other countries in the Lake Chad region were all committed to restoring peace to the region devastated by the Boko Haram insurgency.