The Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Tukur Y. Buratai has commended the Theatre Commander of the Operation Lafiya Dole, Ibrahim Attahiru, his Sector Commanders and all troops of the special operation over their dedicated pursuit of Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau.
He said the troops, under the Theatre Commander had displayed great zeal of duty to realise the Army Chief’s directive and were “very close” to achieving that.
The COAS had directed the commanded and his troops to capture the purported sect’s dead or alive within 40 days beginning from 21st July 2017, which elapsed on 30th August 2017.
Army spokesperson, Sani Usman Kukasheka said in a statement that although the leader has not been captured, the army chief noted with satisfaction the zeal and determination with which the directive was pursued.
The statement said Buratai, a lieutenant general, had congratulated the Commander for eliminating 5 key leaders of the terrorists group that were the closest associates and right hand men of the terrorists group leader.
“Within the same period 82 of the Boko Haram terrorists were eliminated. Therefore, the Commander was very close to achieving the directive.
“The Theatre Commander has asked for the extension of the deadline and it has been granted by the COAS.
“Given deadlines and extensions are strategic means of focusing troops’ efforts in the theatre. Currently the main thrust of the operations is the decapitation of all the remaining terrorists factions within the Nigerian territory.
“With this feat achieved the relevance of Shekau is no longer of any consequence,” Kukasheka, a brigadier general, said.
He called on the people of North East and all Nigerians to be more confident of the Nigerian troops and go about their normal activities.
