‘People still leak information about troops to Boko Haram’

The new Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj-Gen Rogers Nicholas has disclosed that some people still leak information to Boko Haram on locations of troops in the region.

Rogers raised the alarm yesterday at the taking over ceremony from Maj-Gen Ibrahim Attahiru at the Maimalari Cantonment, Maiduguri.

He said there is ‘a lot to be done’ to completely defeat the insurgents in the Northeast.

According to him: “Some people still help these Boko Haram insurgents with information about the locations of our troops fighting terrorism and insurgency in northeast. We’ve to put our hands together and made sure they are completely defeated, before peace could be restored in Borno State and the Northeast sub-region.’’

On the complete defeat of Boko Haram, Rogers said: “There are many things coming up on board. Basically, military and strategic information would not be released; but as the operations unfold you will get to see them on ground and front lines of our operations.’’

The outgoing Theater Commander, Maj-Gen Ibrahim Attahiru in his valedictory speech, said Special Forces in-theatre Training team was set up last August, to improve the general operational vibrancy of troops.

The training, according to him, was to refresh troops on the fundamental concepts and skills of marksmanship, convoy and anti-ambush drills.

Meanwhile, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General, Tukur Yusuf Buratai, yesterday announced that it would increase its land operations next year.

Speaking at the Chief of Army Staff annual conference in Ibadan, Buratai explained that the Army is consolidating on its successes in the outgoing year.

The new operations namely; Crocodile 3 (South South, South East and South West), Operation Harbin Kunaman 3 and Operation Egwu-Eke 3, according to Buratai would be deployed in the Kaduna, Plateau and Bauchi states.

Buratai also told his audience that the Army would from next year commercialise its resources to boost its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and make it more financially buoyant for greater efficiency.