The Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Ola Sa’ad Ibrahim has reiterated the resolve of the armed forces to defeat terrorists in the country in record time, urging the troops to use their superior training and backing of Nigerians to accomplish the task.
Admiral Ibrahim also reminded the troops fighting against terrorists in North Eastern part of the country to keep to their rules of engagements and codes.
The CDS who gave the injunction while commending the level of professionalism so far demonstrated by the troops that have overran several terrorists camps in Borno State, said the operation was a major test case on the capacity of the country forces to manage the nation’s security issues.
Admiral Ibrahim stated this in a message delivered to the troops by a Defence Headquarters Operational Assessment Team led by Major General Lawrence Ngubane. He observed that the feat achieved by the troops was a major step in the process of restoring normalcy to the communities that were held captive by terrorists.
Expressing his gratitude that no civilian casualty was recorded in the liberated communities, CDS said that the progress so far is a source of pride to the Military and all Nigerians.
He enjoined them to continue in their stride and adhere strictly to the rules of engagement and all codes of conduct stipulated for the operations.
According to him, “the whole exercise was a major test case on the capacity of the country forces to manage the nation’s security issues as mandated by the Commander in Chief.”
He expressed firm belief that the security agencies in Nigeria were capable of discharging their task of defending the nation’s territorial integrity professionally.
According to him, “troops must not make themselves vulnerable, as those who carry arms against the state and citizens are the ones we are fighting against.”
The CDS said he was certain that the mission to defeat the terror in record time would be accomplished considering the superiority of the troops in terms of training and the backing of Nigerians.
He urged them to maintain the high standard of commitment and discipline in all steps taken during the operation, as they are expected to bring their training and professionalism to bear on task at hand within the existing law.
