The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, has arrived in Maiduguri, Borno State, following President Bola Tinubu’s directive to security chiefs to intensify efforts to rescue abducted Nigerians and eliminate terrorist and bandit camps across the country.
Shaibu arrived in the Borno State capital at about 11am on Saturday, October 17, amid renewed calls for security agencies to strengthen operations against terrorism and kidnapping.
Although it remains unclear whether the visit was directly connected to the President’s latest directive, the Army chief was expected to meet with theatre, field and unit commanders in the state.
The visit comes two days after Defence Minister Christopher Musa disclosed that Tinubu had issued fresh instructions to security chiefs during a security meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
According to Musa, the President directed the heads of security agencies to ensure that all abducted persons were rescued, irrespective of where they were being held.
“The directive from the President is: all of us must go all out to fish out and rescue all those that have been abducted, kidnapped, wherever they are,” the minister said.
He added that the government would not tolerate the continued existence of terrorist and bandit camps anywhere in the country.
“There shouldn’t be any camp of any terrorists or bandits anywhere in Nigeria,” Musa stated.
Tinubu also instructed service chiefs and other security officials to ensure adequate security for Nigerians during the elections scheduled for January.
Shaibu’s arrival in Borno comes amid continued pressure on security agencies to intensify operations against armed groups, dismantle their camps and secure the release of people held captive.
The Army chief’s planned engagement with commanders is expected to provide an opportunity to assess security operations in the state, although details of the meeting had not been disclosed in the source report.
