The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru has again for the third time in about three weeks, visited the Theater Command Headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole, in Maimalari Cantonment Maiduguri on operational visits to assess operational activities, equipments, logistics and welfare of the troops at the war front Saturday.
The COAS was received at the Conference Hall of the Theater Commander and briefed by Maj. Gen. Yahaya Farouq, the Theater Commander, of Operation Lafiya Dole.
In an interview with newsmen, the COAS, said the visit to the theatre is to encourage and commend troops for the successes been recorded against terrorists across the Nation.
‘Most of the Boko Haram strongholds have been cleared, we can rightly say that we are going to the second phase of the operation soon,’ Attahiru said.
Speaking on the prevailing security situation in Marte and Dikwa towns in Northern Borno, the COAS explained that as a result of the intensive ongoing clearance of terrorists hideouts by the Nigerian troops in Sambisa Forest, the terrorists are fleeing to neighboring towns in search for breathing space, thereby causing disturbances.
“Our troops are into Sambisa Forest. After the total clearance, we will proceed to Lake Chad Basin area and other strategic areas, soon”, Attahiru said.
The COAS added that: “In Dikwa and Marte, our troops give a good account of themselves and took on the terrorist decisively, we will also encourage them and bring in more combat multipliers all through the theatre”.
‘I want to assure Nigerians that what we are doing in this theatre command is going to be replicated in many other theatres so that we give a final knock to the fight against Boko Haram, bandits and other forms of criminality in Nigeria’, Attahiru added.
However, it would be recalled that there have been reports on the social media about Saturday morning attacks by the insurgents indicating that Sambisa forest which has been taken over and occupied by Abubakar Shekau’s faction of the group as hideouts has been recovered and liberated by the troops including those occupying shekau farmlands in sambisa forest.
Troops were also seen in hundreds on security vehicles ready for deployment outside the barracks into Sambisa Forest in continuation of the new strategic operations.