▪︎As DHQ engages military veterans on security parley
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Lucky Irabor, has expressed his appreciation to the citizens and residents of the North-East (NE) zone for genuinely supporting the ongoing intensive clearance operations by troops of the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) towards the restoration of permanent peace in the zone.
According to Director, Defence Information, Major General Benjamin Olufemi Sawyerr, the CDS equally allayed the fears of the general public on the ongoing mass surrendering of Boko Haram (BH)/Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) ex-fighters to the AFN.
Gen Irabor who was speaking on Tuesday, 24 August 2021 in Yola, at the Chief of Defence Staff’s interactive session with retired senior military officers in the North East geo-political zone, appreciated the people of the NE for supporting the military operations thus far, while seeking for more cooperation.
He posited that the solutions to the NE security challenges lay in the region, as he was optimistic that the situation would get better and better in the days ahead.
On the recent fear and apprehension doing the rounds about the mass surrendering of BH/ISWAP ex-members, the CDS reassured residents and Nigerians in general to trust the relevant agencies that had been tasked with responsibilities of planning the rehabilitation of repented insurgents.
According to him, the AFN would deal with the matter for the good of the zone as there would be no loose ends.
The Defence Chief urged the military veterans to take full advantage of the security parley in evaluating the various military operations, as their patriotic and constructive assessment of the general security situation would add value to the ongoing actionable military offensive clearance operations.
His words: “what remain very clear is the desire and will of the AFN to speedily turn around the fortune of the NE to a state where everyone will be happy again.”
The CDS described the attack on Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) officers’ residential quarters, as more of criminal activities associated with the normal banditry action which the military was already on dealing with.
The Chief of Defence Civil Military Cooperation (CDCIMIC), Rear Admiral Fredrick Ogu announced that the one-day security parley included the Chief of Defence Intelligence brief on the general security situation in NE, group presentations by the participants and then the interactive session.
Earlier in his welcome address, the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 3 Division Nigerian Army (NA), Major General Ismaila Ali, who was represented by the Commander 23 Brigade NA, Brigadier General Aminu Garba commended the Defence Headquarters for the laudable initiative of tapping from the wealth of experience of the retired senior officers.
The CDCIMIC urged the veterans to make useful contributions towards the goal of securing the NE zone and the country at large.
According to the GOC, the cross fertilization of ideas between the current leadership of the Armed Forces and its veterans was tailored to finding workable ideas in surmounting the contemporary security challenges bedeviling the nation.
Notable among the top military brass that attended the parley were the Chief of Defence Administration, Rear Admiral Mohammed Adamu and the Air Officer Commanding, Special Operations Command, Nigerian Air Force, Air Vice Marshal Charles Ohwo.
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