The Minister of Defence, Maj. Gen. Bashir Magashi (retd.), has ordered troops on various operations to embark on a more aggressive kinetic action against criminal elements threatening national peace and security.
He also declared 2021 as the year insurgency would end in the country.
The minister gave the charge when the Chadian Ambassador to Nigeria, Abakar Chachaimi, visited him in his office in Abuja.
This was contained in a statement on Thursday by the media aide to the minister, Mohammad Abdulkadri, titled, ‘Insecurity: Minister of Defence declares 2021 the year of decisive offensive to end insurgency’.
Magashi told the Chadian Ambassador, “Now is the time and year for aggressive and collective resolve by the two countries to stop cross-border crimes fuelling the activities of Boko Haram terrorists and ISWAP.
“It is time for a more decisive and aggressive effort in ending insurgency and terrorism.”
He said it was through effective synergy, strategy and sincerity of purpose among the four- member nations of the Lake Chad Basin Commission that the asymmetric war against the insurgents can be concluded this year.
The minister appreciated the fact that the Operational Headquarters of the Multinational Joint Task Force headed by Maj. Gen. I. Yusuf, was in N’Djamena, but called on member nations to show more commitment to neutralising the insurgents.
He assured the Chadian envoy that the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), was “committed to empowering the troops to be on top of their firing powers to decisively deal with the insurgents and their cohorts.”
Chachaimi pledged on behalf of the Chadian President, Idriss Deby, the readiness and willingness of his country to cooperate with Nigeria to end cross- border trafficking of weapons and to make Chad inhabitable for the insurgents.
The ambassador appealed to Buhari on behalf of the Chadian President, to open the Nigeria- Chad border “since the Chadian economic lifelines are dependent on Nigeria.”
