Defence Headquarters Hold Security Summit Over Terrorism, Insurgency

The Defence Headquarters on Monday held security summit over the terrorism and insurgency in the northeastern part of the country.

Speaking at the National Defence College, in Abuja the Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Magashi, restated the imperative of kinetic measures to address the current security challenges in the country.

After declaring the summit open, Magashi assured that the current government is working hard to restore stability in the country, and will continue to explore all possible approaches to making that possible.

On his part, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, said the summit aims at promoting the buy-in of all stakeholders and creating more awareness on the use of kinetic operations among other factors.

Nigeria has battled the insurgency for over a decade which has killed 36,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands in the northeast.

The Islamic State of West African Province, (ISWAP), split from the jihadist group Boko Haram in 2016, and has since become a dominant threat in Nigeria, attacking troops and bases while killing and kidnapping passengers at bogus checkpoints.

On March 1, jihadist fighters burnt down a United Nations humanitarian compound, in the town of Dikwa, after dislodging troops, killing six civilians.

Nigeria’s jihadist violence has spread to neighbouring Chad, Cameroon and Niger, prompting a regional military coalition to fight the insurgents.

More to follow…