Yahaya tasks troops on routing terrorists in North East

The Guardian honoured for professionalism

Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-Gen. Farouk Yahaya, has charged troops to sustain the tempo of ridding Borno State and the North East region of terrorists.
He urged troops of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) to redouble their efforts in smoking out the remnants of terrorists in Sambisa Forest and the Lake Chad region.

Yahaya gave the charge, on Sunday, while celebrating Christmas with wounded soldiers, journalists and security agencies at the Maimalari Cantonment, Maiduguri, Borno.

“The Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists have been decimated from the region,” he said.

The COAS, who had lunch with the Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Isiaka Amao, further disclosed: “I commend you for reaching a turning point of the counter-insurgency operation in the region. What we just needed is a little push to completely defeat the terrorists in the country.”

He noted that part of his visit to the theatre command was to meet soldiers that were wounded in action in various operations.

The army chief also honoured and rewarded troops that distinguished themselves in various fields of operation and the media, including The Guardian, for being in the frontlines of reporting professionally on the counter-insurgency operations.

Meanwhile, residents of Maiduguri metropolis have expressed joy over the peaceful celebration of Christmas across the state.

The 2022 celebration of Christmas in the state has recorded no attack by Boko Haram, as over 83,000 repentant terrorists and their families surrendered to the army.

Some of the residents, therefore, described this year as the most peaceful since the commencement of insurgency in July 2009.

“It’s a hitch-free Christmas,” said Yohanna Musa of Bulumkutu community.
Joy Yakubu added: “For over a decade, we had been living in fear, until this year’s Christmas. The celebration was peaceful without any fear of attack from the insurgents.”

She, therefore, thanked God for making the Christmas hitch-free and prayed for its sustenance with peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims.