Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday in N’Djamena, Chad, renewed call for quick interventions and measures to curb the menace of Boko Haram insurgency in the Lake Chad Basin.
The President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, said in a statement in Abuja that Buhari made the appeal at a one-day consultation with Heads of State and Governments of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC).
Adesina said the meeting was called to address the recent upsurge in terrorist activities in the region, and the Nigerian leader rallied his colleagues from Chad, Niger Republic and Republic of Cameroon to a fresh onslaught against insurgents, particularly the Boko Haram group.
Buhari said: “As you are aware and have witnessed in recent times, there are new developments of security concern in our sub-region.
“The region in the recent past has witnessed increasing attacks, particularly on military formations by elements of the Boko Haram terrorists as well as the renewed kidnapping of people.
“These activities are aimed at weakening our collective resolve to eradicate them from the region. We must not cave in.
“The group’s renewed strategy of increasingly mining the general area as well as its recent deployment of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for surveillance activities have proved to be critical factors in the resurgence of attacks in the region.”
While commending what he called the “untiring efforts” of the leadership of the LCBC, and officers and men of the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF), Buhari noted that the efforts of those who strive to bring peace and stability to the region would never be forgotten.
“We are committed to ensuring that the ideals of restoring peace, stability and viability of the Lake Chad Region to its glorious state, for which some of you have paid the ultimate price is attained,” he vowed.
He further maintained: “We must not relent and allow the enemies of the region to succeed in their quest to destabilise the area.
“We must reinvigorate our collective will and commitment towards eradicating terrorism from our region. We must remain focused and true to ensuring sustainable development.
“To this end, I have requested that bilateral and multilateral platforms of engagements by member countries affected by the conflict be revamped to ensure collective actions towards stamping out the remnants of the terrorists from the region.
“There is no gainsaying that also fueling the crisis are the twin menaces of poverty and the continued shrinkage of the Lake Chad, which have rendered the people of the region vulnerable to terrorist activities.
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