Fight Against Boko Haram: Military Set to Move Command Center to Maiduguri as President Buhari meets with Service Chiefs...............

As President Muhammadu Buhari promised, the military is making plans to move its command center to Maiduguri, Borno State to facilitate the fight against Boko Haram.

The news was confirmed by Chief of Naval Staff, Usman Jibrin after a meeting between the service chiefs and  Buhari on Tuesday, Vanguard reports.

Speaking on the meeting, Jibrin said:

“Since he was inaugurated as our commander-in-chief, this is the first time that we are formally meeting him to give general security briefing of the country. We have been able to provide insights into the security situation of Nigeria.

Specifically on Boko Haram, with the level of successes being recorded, we want to maintain the tempo and sustain it  until they are routed out.

On the command centre, we will go back and work on it. Soon it will be carried out, it is a Presidential directive, it must be carried out, and we must do that as quickly as possible.”

Service Chiefs say they will soon carry out President Muhammadu Buhari's directive to relocate the military command and control centre to Maiduguri, Borno State, to tackle the Boko Haram insurgent.

The Chief of Naval Staff Rear Admiral Usman Jibrin, stated this while addressing State House journalists on Tuesday after a three-hour closed-door meeting President Buhari held with the security chiefs at the Defence House in Abuja.


Fielding question on when the command centre would be relocated to Maiduguri, the Chief of Naval Staff said: "The command center, we're the ones to go back and work on it. Soon, it will be carried out. It is a presidential directive. It must be carried out, and we must do that as quickly as possible".

Jubrin said the armed forces would sustain the tempo of their success against the insurgents, asking Nigerians to continue to support the military by providing the needed intelligence.

"As to the human beings, their movements and suspicious movement should be reported to the police. Of course, the police will make that available to us. You know as we continue to put pressure on them in the Sambisa area, they'll try to run away from there and then create further problems, using improvised explosives devices.

"Like I told you, we're sustaining the tempo and the successes we've recorded so far. We want to continue to maintain that, and if there is any suggested solutions that requires amendments or alteration of what we're doing, why not? Most especially the more they give us the intelligence, the better", he said.

The service chiefs at the meeting were Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh; Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Kenneth Minimah; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal A. N. Amosun; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral U. O. Jibrin and Inspector General of Police Solomon Arase.

The president had stated in his inaugural speech on Friday that victory against the sect could not be achieved by basing the command and control centre in Abuja, saying "The command centre will be relocated to Maiduguri and remain until Boko Haram is completely subdued."