By: Gbenga Akingbule.
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) ,Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, on Wednesday, urged residents of Borno and Yobe States to rise and take ownership of the fight against the 16-year-old Boko Haram insurgency, warning against any form of complicity that could undermine ongoing military efforts.
Gatekeepers News reports that Gen. Oluyede revealed that the military had recently recorded a troubling incident in which residents of Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State harboured two wounded Boko Haram fighters after a military offensive in the area.
The CDS made the revelation in Maiduguri, where he had gone to assess the security situation two days after suspected Boko Haram suicide bombers detonated explosives at three different locations within Maiduguri, the state capital.
Gen. Oluyede stressed that such actions, as exhibited by some residents of Kukawa, are condemnable and called for all hands to be on deck to end the Boko Haram insurgency.
Accordingt to him, ” This challenge( Boko Haram insurgency) has been on for the past 15 years. I want to put it our there very clearly, for us to end this act of terrorism , the people of Borno and Yobe states must take ownership of the problem because bulk of the people perpeptrating this heinous acts are from these states- they’re our brothers, sisters, cousins and we know them.
” When Kukawa was attacked and we were conducting cordoned and search afterwards, two of the people that came to attack Kukawa- the wounded ones were inside that village, and that means that the people are complicit . So for us to bring this (insurgency) to an end , all hands must be on deck , our must resolve this issue must come to an end.
The CDS said his visit to Maiduguri was to further reassure the people of Borno State that the military is putting in place measures to prevent Boko Haram terrorists from launching further attacks in Maiduguri and its environs again.
Gen. Oluyede, who acknowledged the increased attack by the Boko Haram terrorists in different parts of the north east said the military is deploying technology to arrest the ugly security situation
” We’re already deploying modern technology, and we’re going to get more. ” the CDS said .
