The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, on Wednesday, said the Army was on the trail of Boko Haram terrorists who fled Sambisa and were hiding in Taraba. Buratai said this when he paid a courtesy visit to Gov. Darius Ishaku of Taraba, in continuation of his tour of Army formations in the state.
He said the Army had strong reasons to believe that some of the terrorists that fled Sambisa were taking refuge in parts of Taraba. He added that “Taraba has not been affected by this insurgency since it started except for the recent incidences that are related to Boko Haram especially as they are being pushed out of Borno. “We strongly suspect some of them are currently parading themselves around this state; we are working on our intelligence and information from some good citizens.
“We are banking on support about their movement and we are equally tracking them so that we get them as soon as we can.” The Army boss then urged Nigerians to support the military “to finally clear the remaining hideouts of the insurgents.” He said timely sharing of information on the movement of suspicious persons would go a long way in containing the insurgents. He assured citizens of Taraba and the North East in general of the military’s determination to finally end the menace of insurgency in the region.
On the invasion of communities by suspected cattle herders, Buratai said troops were also on the trail of the suspects. He said that the Army, in conjunction with other security agencies, were working hard to contain the menace. According to him, troops are combing the bush and areas in search of the suspects all over the country. He expressed optimism that the situation would be arrested in the nearest future.
On his part, the state governor commended the efforts of the military in addressing threats of security across the country. Ishaku informed the army chief of the various threats to peace that had plagued the state for a while. He sought the assistance of the Nigerian Army in tackling the challenges, especially in the border communities of the state. Ishaku reaffirmed the commitment of the state government to support security agencies in the discharge of their duties.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the chief of army staff is scheduled to visit army formations in Takum and Sarti areas of the state.
NAN
