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Search for missing Chibok girls continues, GOC pledges

By Isa Abdulsalami Ahovi, Jos
03 February 2016   |   11:17 pm
THE General Officer Commanding (GOC) 3 Division of the Nigeria Army, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Sani Aliyu, has said that federal troops will not stop the search for the abducted Chibok schoolgirls in Maiduguri until they are found.
chibok girls 3

Chibok Girls

THE General Officer Commanding (GOC) 3 Division of the Nigeria Army, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Sani Aliyu, has said that federal troops will not stop the search for the abducted Chibok schoolgirls in Maiduguri until they are found.

The missing girls have been in captivity of the Boko Haram sect since April 14, 2014 when they were abducted from their hostels by the insurgents.

Since then, the military has been searching the North East region of the country including the Sambisa Forest where the girls were believed to have been kept. But up till now, none of the over 200 students has been found.

But the GOC who spoke during a chat with the media at the Division’s headquarters in Jos vowed that the military would spare nothing to bring back the girls.

He said: “President Muhammadu Buhari has directed that we do everything possible to find the missing girls. We take the directive seriously and we are doing all we can to locate them. So the issue of giving up on the search for the girls does not arise because we are very much committed to the mandate.”

The GOC who assumed duty last December also gave an appraisal of the ongoing war against terrorism in the North East region where the 3 Armoured Division under his command is currently engaged in counter insurgency operations.

According to him, the military had succeeded in weakening the attack capabilities of the sect members, unlike the situation in the past where such attacks were common.

He, however, noted that the terrorists have recently resorted to attacking soft targets, warning members of the public to be security conscious all the time especially regarding strange people and objects as the sect members might hide under such to carry out their activities.

The GOC maintained that no territory under his areas of operation in the North East was still under the control of Boko Haram, attributing the normalcy that has returned to the area to what he called “increased collaboration with our Cameroun, Chad and Nigerien neighbours against the insurgents.”

Expressing concern over the plight of internally displaced persons and public infrastructure destroyed by the insurgents, the GOC disclosed that the military had taken delivery of new equipment to fight the insurgents to the end.

“We don’t give them room to carry on their nefarious activities. Terrorism is alien to Nigeria. Initially, we did not focus too much on how to combat terrorism, which is the same everywhere in the world. Their tactics is to create a sense of insecurity and engage in killing people.

“There is no justification in their course except demonic ideology. But the military is prepared to fight them to the end and ensure their defeat.”

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