TheCable

Tukur Buratai, chief of army staff, says the activities of the Boko Haram sect will be curbed under his watch.

Commending the troops on ground for their efforts in the fight against insurgency, Buratai charged his men on discipline.

The COAS, who visited Borno state on Sunday after spending Sallah in Yobe, renamed the operational code of the counter insurgency efforts from ‘operation Zaman Lafiya’ to ‘operation Zaman Lafiya Dole’.

“The ongoing activities of Boko Haram is assuming an alarming dimension in Borno and other parts of the north east,” he said.

“We will not tolerate the killing of citizens and destruction of property. In as much as we urge you (troops) to adhere strictly to human rights abuses, the time to crush Boko Haram and other criminal activities in this country is now or never.

“As chief of army staff, I will be actively involved in this ‘Operation Zaman Lafiya Dole’ to end the madness of Boko Haram if I will have your collective maximum support and cooperation.

“My doors will always remain open to all of you for constructive criticism and advice towards restoration of peace in this part of the country.

“Therefore, we are here to identify with you and to officially inform you that as from today henceforth, we have changed our Operational Code from Operation Zaman Lafiya to ‘Operation Zaman Lafiya Dole’.”

Brutai also paid a courtesy visit to the Shehu of Borno, Abubakar Elkanemi, reassuring him of the commitment of the military in restoring normalcy to the state, which has suffered the most damage by insurgency.

“Borno has of recent been badly affected by the Boko Haram terrorism, I want to assure you that all that is going to be a thing of the past soon,” he told the monarch.

Buratai assured the Shehu that the military will introduce renewed vigour in its anti-insurgency approach in the next few weeks.

“By the grace of God you will start seeing some changes in our operations soon. My goal is to have a professional Nigerian army that can adequately perform its constitutional role in all ramification. I intend to pursue this goal of transforming the army into one of the best in the world.”

Elkanemi thanked him for the visit and urged him to do his best in ensuring that not only Borno but other states where the insurgents have made life unbearable for citizens are secured.