Army rotates 3,000 troops in Northeast counter-insurgency operations

• Cholera kills seven in Borno IDPs camp

At least 3,000 troops of the Operation Lafiya Dole have so far been rotated while fighting counter insurgency in the Northeast. The Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen Tukur Buratai announced this on Saturday, while addressing troops of 112 Task Force Battalion in Mafa town of Borno State.

Buratai who was represented by the Chief of Training and Operations, David Ahmadu, also had lunch with troops to mark Eid-el-Kabir celebration in the border front lines.

He assured the troops that the rotation of overstayed troops at the Theatre Command would be a continuous exercise without any soldier overstaying in the front lines.

His words: “Rotation of troops is routine and we have been doing that. In fact, so far, we have rotated almost 3,000 troops. “I have just discussed with the Theatre Commander, Maj-Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, the plans he brought for the rotation was just approved last week and in the next one or two days, troops will be rotated again.”

Chief of Army Staff acknowledged the sacrifice of the troops in the operations to route remnants of Boko Haram terrorists from the nation’s territory.

On the ongoing operations, Ahmadu said: “The Nigerian Army achievement in the restoration of peace and maintenance of security has been made possible through your unwavering commitment, dedication and gallantry.

“I urge you to remain focus in the task to consolidate our recent successes. I also urge you to remain loyal, focus and professionally responsive in the discharge of your duties. I want to reassure you of the unflinching support of the President and Commander-In-Chief, and the entire nation.”

Caretaker Chairman of the Mafa Local Council, Bulama Goni, who took part in the lunch, also appreciated the Nigerian army for relative security and peace in the area. He said residents of council area were now able to engage in farming and other commercial activities because of the security being provided by troops.

Meanwhile, an outbreak of cholera in Maiduguri metropolis has killed seven people at an Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in Muna and Dala Lawanti cholera treatment centre in the last three weeks.

The Medical Director of Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), Anna Cillers, made the disclosure yesterday, as part of measures to further prevent its spread. She attributed the outbreak to flood caused by downpour in the past few weeks and the resulting poor sanitary condition.

She said that over 200 patients were admitted at the Dala treatment centre, since the outbreak of cholera last month. Her words: “In the last 24 hours in Maiduguri metropolis of Borno State, we have received over 50 patients at MSF’s Cholera Treatment Unit at Dala. The number of patients admitted from the start of the outbreak till now is over 200 with 100 patients discharged while seven people died.”

Cillers said the MSF is working in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and other organisations to respond to outbreaks and diagnoses of cholera in the metropolis and resettlement camps.