The Chief of Army Staff, Lt-General Taoreed Lagbaja states that the safety conditions in various regions of the country have gotten better.
The Army Chief revealed this during a special program on Channels TV that reviewed one year of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
“Gone are the days when reports of suicide bombing, attacks on our government infrastructure, attacks on troops’ locations, dislodgement of our troops and so many reverses in the North East used to be the in-thing in the news headline,” Lt-General Lagbaja said.
“Today, there is relative peace in the North East.”
However, the Army Chief thinks that serious threats still exist in the area, with troops ready to fight them.
“We are still confronting the challenge of improvised explosive devices (IEDs). It’s understandable because the threats we confront are complex, ill-defined, and adaptable,” he said.
The Army Chief said the military has regained equipment stolen by terrorists in the North East during the height of the insurgency. Over the past year, they’ve conducted operations that eliminated terrorists, recovered equipment, and rescued people from areas like Sambisa Forest.
Lt-Gen Lagbaja, referencing that, said, “We have been seeing photographs of our mine-resident, ambush-protected vehicles being brought out of the Timbuktu triangle, (and) from Sambisa Forest; places that the troops previously dreaded in the past to enter. Now they go there almost on a weekly basis to ensure there are boots on the ground, and the domination of the geographic space.”
Though the situation in the North East has improved, the situation in the North West is different.
“In the North West, the threat matrix is becoming emboldened, I will say that,” the Army chief said. “This can be attributed to many socio-political factors, clearly outside the purview of the military.
“The challenge has always been the Yankasai, the local vigilante groups, against the pastoralists.”
According to Lt-General Lagbaja, while some issues are beyond the military’s control, troops have continued their efforts and eliminated several bandit leaders in the region.
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