Army in Final Push against Boko Haram

The Nigerian Army said on Tuesday it had lunched a new operation to flush out remnants of Boko Haram insurgents in the Lake Chad region.

Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Burutai, disclosed at a press conference in Maiduguri that Operation Last Hold began on May 1 and had a target of August 31 to accomplish its mission.

Represented by Maj.- Gen. Abba Dikko, the Commander of Operation Last Hold, he explained  that it was intended to facilitate the clearance of the Lake Chad waterways of sea weeds and other obstacles obstructing the movement of boats and people across the water channels.

“It will also ensure the destruction of Boko Haram Terrorist camps and strong points in the Lake Chad Basin general area. The operation will also facilitate the rescue of hostages,” he said.

Buratai said that the Army was determined to consolidate on its recent gains in the ongoing push, especially in the Northern most part of Borno.

“Operation Last Hold is expected to last for 4 months and it will entail deployment of additional manoeuvre brigades and other critical assets in Borno State.

“The end-state of Operation Last Hold is the total defeat of the Boko Haram Terrorist Sect in northern Borno. This will pave way for the return of local administration and people to their responsibilities and communities.”

According to him, “The operation will facilitate the restoration of fishing, farming and other economic activities in the Lake Chad Basin.

“Additionally, it will facilitate the relocation of Internally Displaced Persons from IDP camps back to their communities,” said Burutai. (NAN)