Buhari to visit Niger and Chad in search for solution to the Boko Haram menace

ABUJA, TUESDAY

Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari will make his first foreign trip since taking office to neighbouring Chad and Niger to discuss cross-border violence.

President Buhari will specifically hold talks with his host counterparts on the Boko Haram menace.

The president's media liaison, Mr Shehu Garba, said on Monday in Abuja that the two-day official visit would begin on Wednesday.

Mr Garba said talks would focus on collaboration to curtail the activities of the insurgents and forge a common front on the cross-border crisis.

The insurgency, which assumed a violent dimension in 2009, has claimed more than 15,000 lives and rendered millions homeless.

In the past two days alone, the Boko Haram insurgents have attacked some villages in Borno State, including the capital Maiduguri, killing no fewer than 28 people.

A mosque located near a market in Maiduguri was a target of a suicide bomber, who killed 26 people on Sunday.

President Buhari condemned the Maiduguri attack and warned that his administration would not tolerate wanton and willful destruction of lives by criminal elements.

He said in a statement that his administration meant business in its determination to tackle terrorist violence with all the resources available to his government.

COWARDLY MURDERERS
Describing terrorists as cowardly murderers who target innocent people, President Buhari explained that as the commander-in-chief, he had sworn to protect all Nigerians.

The Boko Haram sect members are believed to enjoy safe havens in Chad and Niger.

The two countries and Cameroon have joined hands with Nigeria to form a multinational force to confront the Islamists.

President Buhari vowed on his inauguration on May 29 that Nigeria, under his administration, would be ready to play any leadership role that Africa expects of it.

He appreciated the governments and people of Cameroon, Chad and Niger for committing their armed forces to fight Boko Haram in Nigeria.

"I also wish to assure the wider international community of our readiness to cooperate and help to combat threats of cross-border terrorism, sea piracy, refugees and boat people, financial crime, cybercrime, climate change, the spread of communicable diseases and other challenges of the 21st century," he said in his inaugural speech.

"The most immediate problem is Boko Haram’s insurgency. Progress has been made in recent weeks by our security forces but victory cannot be achieved by basing the Command and Control Centre in Abuja.

BOKO HARAM SUBDUED
"The command centre will be relocated to Maiduguri and remain there until Boko Haram is completely subdued," said President Buhari.

He went on to describe Boko Haram as a typical example of small fires causing large fires.

The president said the insurgents continued to wreak havoc due to official bungling, negligence, complacency or collusion.

"Boko Haram is a mindless, godless group who are as far away from Islam as one can think of," he said.

Chad and Cameroon publicly mocked Nigeria’s counter-insurgency efforts under President Goodluck Jonathan and called for greater cooperation.

President Buhari, a former army general who headed a military regime from 1983 to 1984, is seen by most observers as a more robust commander-in-chief than his predecessor.

His visit to Chad and Niger has been seen as a first step towards relocating the military command to the northeast state, which needed the cooperation of neighbouring countries.

Britain and the US have asked President Buhari to submit his requests on strategies to battle insecurity and corruption.