The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Buratai has admitted that Boko Haram insurgents have now converged on Borno State after being flushed out from other States in the Northeast.

At a meeting today, August 10 with President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa, Abuja along with governors from Northeast, General Buratai said: “there are no Boko Haram terrorists in neighbouring states.

“They have been pushed out, and now converged on Borno State.

“We are coordinating with civil and traditional authorities, mobilising and reinforcing and all we need is patience.  We will not relent.”

This was even as the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, assured that  the imminent arrival of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, UAVs, known as drones with more than 10 hours of flying time, would strongly reinforce the battle front.

In their address at the beginning of the meeting, the Northeast Governors said that the security situation in the region has now greatly improved, compared to the time the President assumed office.

The governors, who commended President Buhari for the establishment of the Northeast Development Commission and the take-off of Mambila Dam Power Project, however, called for attention to the condition of most of their roads.

They also warned of the consequences of a “War Economy” and the need to address the root causes of the insurgency.

“A large population in the region, especially in Borno State, have no access to their homes and farmlands,” while calling for efforts to curtail the “increasing trust deficit between the population and the armed forces.”

President Muhammadu Buhari has said that army officers and other security agencies are being trained now on the use of sophisticated weapons that are being brought into the country for a more frontal attacks on Boko Haram insurgents, especially in Borno State.

The President said: “things will improve very soon. We are acquiring modern equipment; some are here, some are being cleared, and others still coming.  We need patience with acquisition of equipment. You need to train the trainers for their usage ahead of their deployment to the field.”

President Buhari, who spoke during his meeting with the five Northeast State Governors at the presidential villa, Abuja today, August 10, assured the Northeast Governors, especially that of Borno, “that we go to bed and wake up thinking about you, how to secure our country, that is the responsibility of every government. Our party campaigned in 2015 on three major objectives, among which is Security.  We said the same thing in 2019 and Nigerians believed us. We are doing our best and we will continue to do even better.”

The President lamented the impact on the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy, making scarce resources even scarcer, coupled with its severe impact on the supply chain of military equipment and spare parts.

“Our government is doing its best on the question of equipment and the military know.  We have equipment coming from some countries.  The acquisition of military wares and spares is not easy, especially if you are not the manufacturer.”

At the meeting, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, the Chief of Staff, Prof Ibrahim Gambari, the National Security Adviser, rtd General Babagana Mungono, and all the Service Chiefs who spoke in support of the President, assured that things will get better soon.

They made a strong case for strengthening ties among the military, state governments, traditional institutions and all communities and the residents of the region.