Insurgency: Buratai, Defence Minister in closed door meeting

Okodili Ndidi, Abuja

The Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Magashi (rtd), on Tuesday met with Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai behind closed door in his office in Abuja.

Although details of the meeting that lasted for over one hour were sketchy, it may not be unconnected with the recent directive by President Muhammadu Buhari to the military to flush out bandits from Katsina state and other parts of the North West.

But the Special Assistant Media and Publicity to the Minister, Mohammad Abdulkadri, in a statement, stated the Army Chief’s visit was to give the Minister operational brief after his return from the frontline in the Northeast.

The Chief of Army Staff has relocated to the epicentre of the Boko Haram insurgency in Borno State since two months ago.

According to the statement,  Buratai’s visit “was sequel to his return from the North east where he led Counter terrorism Operstions for over two months in the trenches.

“Buratai’s visit to the Minister of Defence in less than 24 hours after briefing the Commander-in-Chief, President Muhammadu Buhari at the  State  House was strategically imperative  with a view to ending the menace of Boko Haram terrorism in the  country”.

Read Also: 1,429 insurgents neutralised, 116 accessories arrested in two months – Buratai

It added that, “although, the blow -by- blow accounts of the operational briefs by Lt Gen Buratai to the Minister of Defence  were not disclosed to the Media, but it is implied that it cannot  be far-fetched from what are trending  in the public and Media domains.

“They included, the fire powers of the troops that neutralised 1,429 Boko Haram terrorists and the arrest of the informants of the  criminal elements as well as decisive  and aggressive posture and high   morale of the troops in prosecuting the new battle plans under his command.

“Again, part of the issues supposedly  discussed  in the security  briefs covered  classified informations and strategic  battle plans which cannot  be publicised so as not to compromise and undermine  the technicality and  tactics of the  war  proceedings.”