TheCable

Adams Oshiomhole, Edo state governor, says the military has succeeded in incapacitating the Boko Haram sect, making it to look “like a dead snake” which might still continue to “wriggle its body, but it’s dead”.

Speaking when he received Tukur Buratai, chief of army staff, at the government house in Benin, the state capital, the governor said under Buratai, the military had fared better in its war against insurgency.

He commended the army chief for leading by example and taking the initiative to visit his men in the frontline of the battle.

“Boko Haram has not exactly disappeared, but there is no doubt that they themselves will in their own way appreciate that things have changed, that the Nigerian side is better,” he said.

“They no longer have that audacity, that impunity to move freely without fear. Boko Haram is still there, but obviously there is no doubt it no longer has that capacity to harass us. I think whatever they do now is like a dead snake, it might still continue to wriggle its body, but it’s dead. It is only with time that the teeth will be removed.

“We in Edo state appreciate the leadership that you are providing for the Nigerian armed forces and the Nigerian army in particular. We watch you on television and we see a very senior officer going to meet his officers and men right in the battle field, sharing the dust, the sun and all the deprivations, the sort of thing you sometime see in foreign countries. I think that you are leading by example in every sense of the word.

“You are doing a terrific job for Nigeria, and I believe that we are the beneficiaries, we the civilian population. we are very impressed with your leadership, we are impressed with your style, we are impressed and excited with your total commitment that people can see from your body language and from your action in the battle field.

“We can only pray that God will give you more strength, more wisdom and even better courage that this war which is already won that you sustain it, and in the very near future our brothers and sisters who have been displaced, some of whom are in Edo state, will have the confidence to be able to return to their various homes and get on with their lives the way it was before the word ‘Boko Haram’ ever emerged in our national discourse.”

Buratai thanked the governor for hosting him, commending him for the support shown to his men in Edo.

He said he was in the state to assess the military formations and the operations of the troops.

“I am here to formally get myself acquainted with the officers and soldiers of the brigade and also to assess their performances in various duties, both internal as well as the operation Pulo Shield as well as the administrative, logistics and operational challenges,” he said.

“So, Your Excellency, I deemed it necessary to pay you a courtesy call as a mark of respect and also as a mark of a very good relationship that has been existing between the good government of Edo state ably led by you and the Nigerian army formations and units here.

“I want to appreciate most sincerely despite the short notice you accepted to host me this evening. I appreciate you Your Excellency, and I want to assure you that the Nigerian Army, in spite of its constitutional role will continue to support the state government in its discharge of its sensitive security responsibilities that have been enshrined and mandated in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”