Boko Haram: Buhari cancels leave

President Muhammadu Buhari has cancelled his planned five-day “casual leave’’ as a mark of respect for victims of Boko Haram attacks across the battlefields in the North-east zone of the country.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the president had planned to spend the casual leave at his country home in Daura, Katsina State from November 27 to December 2.

The president had earlier cancelled his official trip to Benin City, Edo, where he was initially billed to inaugurate the Edo-Azura Power Plant and grace the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Annual Conference.

Already the advanced teams of the president, who left Abuja for Katsina and Benin on Sunday, had been asked to return.

The cancellation of the trips would also enable the president to continue his ongoing meetings and consultations with relevant security and intelligence community aimed at addressing the nation’s security challenges.

However, the president is expected to declare open the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Annual Conference, which was moved from Benin City to Maiduguri, Borno, on November 28 at the Government House Conference Hall (CGH).

President Buhari’s aide on New Media, Bashir Ahmad, had on Sunday confirmed this development on his twitter handle.

The shifting of the conference from Benin City to Maiduguri might not be unconnected with the killing of Nigerian soldiers at Metele, a remote village bordering Nigeria and Chad.

President Buhari would use the opportunity of the conference to address the Nigerian soldiers at the battlefields to further boost their morale.

Mr Buhari had on Sunday presided over a meeting of security chiefs at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, as part of the ongoing efforts to engage the military and intelligence community towards addressing the Boko Haram insurgency.

“All the Service Chiefs, I-G of Police and DG of DSS were at the State House this morning. As President Buhari said (Saturday) yesterday, in the coming days, he will be engaging the Military and Intelligence Chiefs in extensive discussions on the next steps we shall be taking,’’ Mr Ahmad said in the tweet.

President Buhari had pledged on Saturday to ensure that the loopholes, which led to the fatalities are blocked once and for all.

On 18 November, the Al Barnawi faction of Boko Haram attack the 157 Task Force Battalion based at Metele in the northern part of Borno state, killing scores of Nigerian troops.

The military authorities are yet to give the specific number of casualties.

Mr Buhari in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, in Abuja on Saturday, reiterated his administration’s commitment to the security of military personnel and other citizens.

“No responsible Commander-in-Chief would rest on his oars or fold his hands to allow terrorists to endanger the lives of military personnel and other citizens,” Mr Shehu quoted the president as saying.

“Our loyal forces have proved their strength over the terrorists and we are ready to give them all the needed support, in terms of equipment and manpower, to succeed in ending the renewed threat.

“In the coming days, I am engaging the military and Intelligence Chiefs in extensive discussions on the next steps we shall be taking.”