The Nigerian Army, on Wednesday,
announced a special promotion for all soldiers involved in liberating Baga, in
Borno State, from Boko Haram insurgents.
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS),
Lt.-General Kenneth Minimah, announced the promotion while addressing the
soldiers during an official visit to Baga in Kukawa Local Government Area.
Minimah said the promotion was to
reward the soldiers for their gallant effort in flushing out the insurgents.
He added that soldiers who died
in the battle with the insurgents would also be promoted posthumously.
“The entire country is singing
praises of Nigerian soldiers for the bravery exhibited in the fight against the
insurgents.
“I urge you to keep the tempo by
striving hard to record more successes,” Minimah said.
He expressed optimism that
insurgency would end in the next couple of weeks.
“Never again will Nigerians
suffer this kind of large scale destruction in the name of insurgency,” Minimah
said.
He said his visit was aimed at
boosting the soldiers’ morale and building more confidence in them.
“The war is almost ended, we will
liberate Dikwa, Bama, Gwoza, Marte and other places in a few days time,”
Minimah said.
He advised Nigerians to support
the military in its quest to end the insurgency.
“Nigerians should maintain
confidence in the Nigerian armed forces. They should support our military
because there is no other.
“War is war. War does not often
come out in favour of any one. In fact, it is the end that justifies the means.
“The war, as it stands, has
turned out for the good of Nigerian Armed Forces, and God willing, in a matter
of time, it will be over.
“So, I encourage Nigerians to
support their military,” Minimah emphasised.
He said that the six weeks
offered by the Federal Government for the military to clear the insurgents was
achievable, going by the recent developments.
“It is achievable; we are still
within the time frame. But six weeks should not be taken that everything must
be attained because this is war,” he added.
Minimah assured that the military
would strive harder to ensure the return of peace to all the affected areas in
a short while.
Meanwhile, soldiers from Chad
killed 207 Boko Haram militants on Tuesday, near a Nigerian town close to the
border with Cameroon, Chad’s army announced in a statement.
Tags
Crime