The Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Lieutenant General Waidi Shuaibu, on Saturday arrived in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, following President Bola Tinubu’s directive to security agencies to rescue all abducted persons and clear all terrorist and bandit camps across the country.

Shuaibu arrived at about 11 a.m. at the headquarters of the Joint Task Force North East, Operation Hadin Kai, Maimalari Cantonment.

The visit comes 48 hours after President Tinubu’s security meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on October 15.

At the meeting, Minister of Defence, Major General Christopher Musa (rtd), disclosed that President Tinubu ordered all security chiefs to go all out to rescue kidnap victims and ensure no terrorist camp remains anywhere in Nigeria.

“The directive from the President is: all of us must go all out to fish out and rescue all those that have been abducted, kidnapped, wherever they are. There shouldn’t be any camp of any terrorists or bandits anywhere in Nigeria,” Musa quoted Tinubu.

The President also directed service chiefs to guarantee a safe environment for the 2027 general elections scheduled for January.

The meeting was attended by NSA Nuhu Ribadu, Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, Chief of Defence Intelligence Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Undiandeye, Inspector General of Police Olatunji Disu, DG NIA Mohammed Mohammed, and DG DSS Adeola Ajayi.

According to military sources, Lt. Gen. Shuaibu during his Maiduguri visit will hold closed-door operational briefings with Theatre, field and unit commanders, assess troop readiness, and boost morale of frontline soldiers fighting Boko Haram and ISWAP remnants.

The Army Chief is expected to reaffirm his commitment to troop welfare and the Soldier-First concept, while emphasizing renewed pressure on insurgents until total victory is achieved.

Credit: Channels TV / Punch / New Telegraph