The Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali, on Thursday regretted that the nation’s troops fighting the Boko Haram sect cannot dominate the environment in rainy season like they were doing during dry season.
Notwithstanding the challenge, Dan-Ali said efforts were ongoing to stop the ambushes being experienced regularly.
The minister spoke with State House correspondents after a meeting the Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, had with security chiefs at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He said the service chiefs were directed to move back to the Command Centre in order to be abreast of what is happening there.
He said it was also resolved at the meeting that the government should procure more surveillance devices that will be able to see potential attackers from far distance.
Dan-Ali said, “We just finished a meeting with the Acting President and the three Service Chiefs. We agreed that they should move back to the Command Centre again and see what are the things happening there.
“We have also agreed that we should get more surveillance devices, cameras that will be able to see distant attackers coming to the position of our troops.
“Also, the period of the raining season is a difficult moment for us. We cannot dominate the environment like what we did during the dry season but effort is geared towards regaining back our areas.
“We assure Nigerians that all these ambushes that are happening regularly would be stopped.”
Meanwhile, Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has directed Tukur Buratai, Chief of Army staff and Sadique Abubakar, Chief of Air staff, to relocate to Maiduguri, Borno state capital, with immediate effect.
This directive came after an emergency meeting with some service chiefs on Thursday.
The acting president said there was a need for them to be at the military command control centre in the hotbed of insurgency.
Apart from Buratai and Abubakar, those who attended the meeting were Mansur Dan-Ali, minister of defence; Gabriel Olonisakin, chief of defence staff and Ekwe Ite-Ibas, chief of naval staff.
Speaking with state house correspondents at the end of the meeting, Dan-Ali said: “We just finished a meeting with the acting president and the three service chiefs. We agreed that they should move back to the command centre again and see what are the things happening there.
“We have also agreed that we should get more surveillance devices, cameras that will be able to see distant attackers coming to the position of our troops.
“Also, the period of the raining season is a difficult moment for us. We cannot dominate the environment like what we do during the dry season but efforts are geared towards regaining our areas. All these ambushes that are happening would be stopped.”
Upon his assumption of office, President Muhammadu Buhari ordered that the military command and control centre be moved from Abuja to Maiduguri.
Boko Haram has renewed attacks since Buratai ordered his men to capture Abubakar Shekau, leader of the sect, within 40 days.
On Tuesday, the sect killed soldiers, members of the civilian joint task force and oil experts in Magmueri local government area of Borno.
