Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shuaibu, arrived in Maiduguri, Borno State, on Saturday, two days after President Bola Tinubu ordered security chiefs to rescue all abducted persons and eliminate terrorist and bandit camps across the country.
Shuaibu arrived in the state capital at about 11am, amid renewed directives from the president for security agencies to intensify operations against terrorists and kidnappers.
It remains unclear whether the army chief’s visit was directly linked to Tinubu’s order. However, he is expected to meet with theatre, field and unit commanders across the state.
Tinubu issued the directive during a security meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, according to the Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa.
Musa disclosed on Thursday, October 15, that the president instructed security chiefs to intensify efforts to rescue abducted persons wherever they were being held and ensure that no terrorist or bandit camp remained anywhere in Nigeria.
“The directive from the President is: all of us must go all out to fish out and rescue all those that have been abducted, kidnapped, wherever they are.
“There shouldn’t be any camp of any terrorists or bandits anywhere in Nigeria,” Musa quoted Tinubu as saying.
The president also directed service chiefs and other security officials to ensure a safe environment for Nigerians to participate in the elections scheduled for January.
Shuaibu’s visit comes as the military faces pressure to strengthen counterterrorism operations and address insecurity in Borno and other parts of the country.
