The Nigerian military has declared there is no going back on President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive to end insurgency in the North east by December.
The Acting Director of Defence Information, Colonel Rabe Abubakar, made this pronouncement during his visit to the corporate headquarters of The Sun Publishing Limited in Lagos.
As stated by him, all military command headquarters are now located in the North East and are working towards finally routing the insurgents.
“We are working round the clock. The essence is for us to have a proactive engagement against Boko Haram. Additionally, we have the 7 Division that has deployed its men to the areas close to the Camerounian border and this is one of the key things that have happened in the fight against insurgents,” he stated.
He stated the blockade has started yielding dividends, especially as infiltration has been halted and the influx of logistics to the insurgents have been denied.
This move, he stated has made members of the insurgents to surrender in droves.
He, however, lamented killings by the insurgents, adding that teachings of the Holy Books do not advocate such killings.
“There is no where in the Quran or Bible that killing of fellow human beings were advocated or they attached a celestial reward to killing of fellow human beings.”
In his response, Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of The Sun Publishing Limited, Mr. Eric Osagie, said: “We take military issues seriously because every day, you see young men and women pay the supreme price in a war where you are not really fighting enemies of other countries but our misguided brothers and sisters who have decided to turn our country into a war zone.
“So, in a bid to make them turn in their weapons, people lose their lives and there’s no greater respect we can pay to them than to be in solidarity with you in your fight to rout the insurgents.
“I also take cognisance of the fact that the oxygen they need is information. This is the debate everywhere, how much information are they going to release.”
He urged the military to avail the media full disclosure on the war against insurgents, insisting that the media must have the benefit of information, especially in this era of social media.
The Sun boss also called for partnership with the military in order to deliberate on citizens’ responsibility in times of insurgency.