1st August, 2017
Some service chiefs have arrived in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital in line with the directive of the Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, was the first to arrive in Maiduguri among the service chiefs on Tuesday.
Channels Television correspondent in Borno State reports that an aircraft conveying the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, will also be landing soon.
The arrival comes five days after the Acting President met with the Minister of Defence, Retired Brigadier General Mansur Dan-Ali, and the service chiefs.
The service chiefs in attendance were the Chief of Defence Staff, General Gabriel Olonisakin; Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ekwe Ite-Ibas; and the Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Sadique Abubakar.
The Defence Minister had told State House correspondents after the meeting which held on July 27 that it was agreed that the military heads should be moved back to the Command Centre in Maiduguri to critically review issues pertaining to security in the country.
The minister added that the Federal Government would procure more surveillance devices and cameras to promptly detect distant attackers and protect the troops.
The decision followed the pockets of Boko Haram attacks in Nigeria’s North-East, especially in Maiduguri with the latest being the abduction of some members of an oil exploration team in the Borno State capital.
The team – including five lecturers of the University of Maiduguri, about 15 soldiers, 11 members of the civilian JTF and some staff of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) – was ambushed by the insurgents on July 25.
Reacting to the attack on Monday on Channels Television breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily, the Director of Defence Information, Major General John Enenche, said the terrorists were getting updates on military operations from informants.
He maintained that unless the terrorists were given adequate information about the progress of the exploration exercise, the team would not have fallen into the ambush.