Boko Haram force Buhari to suspend casual leave

The uprising of the Boko Haram insurgents has forced President Muhammadu Buhari to cancel his planned five-day casual leave. The president will join those mourning victims of Boko Haram attacks across the battlefields in the North-east zone of the country.

It was gathered that the president had planned to spend the casual leave at his country home in Daura, Katsina State, from November 27 to December 2.

President Buhari cancelled his official trip to Benin City, Edo State, this week where he was scheduled to inaugurate the Edo-Azura Power Plant and grace the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Annual Conference.

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

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that 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 would at the conference address the Nigerian soldiers at the battlefields to further boost their morale.