By Gbenga Akingbule.
The Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa, on Tuesday ordered troops of Joint Task Force North East Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) to track down and shoot any Boko Haram terrorist on sight, without waiting for further directives from their commanders across various operational locations.
Gatekeepers News reports that Gen. Musa, alongside the Minister of State for Defence, Hon. Bello Matawalle, said the order was issued by the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and that troops are mandated to carry it out.
This was disclosed when both ministers storm Maiduguri, the Borno State capital to assess security situation following presidential directive after suspected Boko Haram suicide bomber terrorists detonated explosives, killing dozens and injuring over 100 residents .
Gen. Musa and Hon. Matawalle, who jointly addressed troops at Maimalari Cantonment in Maiduguri, declared that the era of waiting for orders before eliminating Boko Haram terrorists in operational locations is over.
” Our business here is to go and look for boko haram terrorists and kill them in your operational areas . You do have to wait for any order from anybody, its your duty wherever you’re deployed to take them (terrorists) down.
” So , I don’t want to hear the aspect of somebody (troops) saying they were waiting for orders- you have been given express orders to take down any boko haram terrorist you come across. ” Gen Musa said.
The Defence Minister charged the troops to “go all out to defeat these terrorists and bandits. They do not mean us well, and we should not mean them well.”
The Minister of State for Defence added that new military equipment has been procured by the federal government and will soon be deployed to the North East to
completely neutralize the terrorists.
” You should take the fight to the doorstep of these criminals (Boko Haram Terrorists), don’t wait for any order , the order is already granted to all of you – the order has already been granted by the Minister of Defence and Mr President ” Hon. Matawalle said.
The two ministers had visited the Shehu of Borno , His Eminence Dr Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai Al-Amin Elkanemi and the Borno State deputy governor where they assured of improved security and commsirated with the state over the tragic incident of suicide bomb attack .
The ministers were also at the Maimalari Cantonment cemetry , where they paid their respects to the fallen heroes by laying wreaths at the memorial site.
