The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shuaibu, arrived in Maiduguri, Borno State, on Saturday as the military leadership faces renewed pressure to intensify efforts against terrorists and bandits across Nigeria.
His arrival, which took place around 11am, came two days after President Bola Tinubu ordered security chiefs to secure the release of abducted victims and ensure that criminal camps were no longer allowed to operate anywhere in the country.
Shuaibu visited the headquarters of Operation Hadin Kai, the military joint task force responsible for counter-insurgency operations in the North-East, at Maimalari Cantonment in Maiduguri.
The presidential directive was announced by the Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, following a security meeting with Tinubu and other security officials at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Thursday, October 15.
According to Musa, the President also charged security agencies with ensuring adequate security ahead of the elections scheduled for January.
“The directive from the President is: all of us must go all out to fish out and rescue all those that have been abducted, kidnapped, wherever they are.
“There shouldn’t be any camp of any terrorists or bandits anywhere in Nigeria,” he said.
While no official explanation has been given linking the Army chief’s trip directly to the President’s order, reports indicate that Shuaibu is expected to hold meetings with military commanders operating at different levels across Borno State.
The meetings are expected to involve theatre, field and unit commanders.
Further information about the Army chief’s engagements in the state is expected to follow.
