President Muhammadu Buhari and Chief of Army staff, Lt. Tukur Yusuf BurtaiPresident Muhammadu Buhari has declared a formal war with bandits operating in rural communities in Zamfara State, ordering a military crackdown on them.
The President was angered by another round of fresh attacks which the faceless bandits launched on some communities in Shinkafi and Maradun Local Government Areas.
A statement by the senior special assistant to the President on media and publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, said that Buhari has given enabling impetus for the army to carry out the mandate.
The statement said that the President has approved the request of the minister of Defence, retired Brigadier General Mansur Dan Ali for the stationing of a full battalion of Special Forces in Zamfara State, and the operationalization of the newly-established 8 Division of the Nigerian Army in Sokoto in the new Order of Battle (OBAT).
The President is reported to have also approved the movement of the 1 Brigade of the Nigerian Army from Sokoto to Gusau upon the take-off of the 8 Division.
“To tackle the desperate actions of Boko Haram terrorists in the Northeast, through the use of mostly female, underage girls as suicide bombers, President Buhari has equally approved the setting up of an intelligence fusion centre in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, for the purpose of gathering and sharing intelligence among the security agencies in the country.
“This phase of the war will be intelligence-driven and the new centre is expected to intensify the harvesting and sharing of intelligence so as to bring to an early closure, the desperate last-minute activities of the terrorists.” [myad]
