APC hails service chiefs for leading anti-B’Haram war

The All Progressives Congress has commended the service chiefs for showing leadership by example – by personally taking charge of the ongoing raise in the fight against Boko Haram.

The party called the development a breath of fresh air in the counter-insurgency battle.

The ruling party said this in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

He said that the widely published report that the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, and the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, were personally coordinating the efforts of their troops in the theatre of war was the best news to have emerged from the frontline of the Boko Haram battle.

The statement said, “There can be no bigger boost to the morale of the gallant troops who are combating Boko Haram than the sight of their service chiefs personally leading the charge from one village to another, battling the insurgents or flying in a reconnaissance aircraft coordinating the various NAF platforms involved in the operation to provide close air support to ground forces.

“By their actions, Lt.-Gen. Buratai and Air Marshal Abubakar have shown that they care deeply for their troops and are determined to lead them to beat the deadline set by President Muhammadu Buhari to end the Boko Haram insurgency.’’

He added that the service chiefs and the troops they were leading were a pride to the military and indeed to Nigeria.

The APC spokesman reiterated the party’s earlier call on Nigerians to continue to support, in all ways possible, the nation’s gallant men and women, who he said, were making every sacrifice, including the supreme sacrifice, to keep the country safe.

Meanwhile, the party has also commended the state governors, mostly in the North-West, who it said have decided to work together to address the security challenges in the area, especially the worsening cases of cattle rustling which cuts right into the artery of the economic well being of the people of the region.

It said the efforts which had led to the recovery of over 3,000 cows and the arrests of some bandits by the Joint Security Task Force, set up by the states, must continue unhindered.

“Cattle rustling and the other security challenges in the North-West in particular are all inter-linked and must be addressed holistically.

“This is why we are delighted that the governors of states within and outside the North-West-Kaduna, Zamfara, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger, Kano and Sokoto –have decided to pool their resources to ensure that there is no hideout for criminals or terrorists,’’ Mohammed added in the statement.