Happy that it finally regained its glory, as evidenced in recent wave of successes against Boko Haram terrorists, Nigerian Defense Headquarters, on Wednesday, promised not to relent until every part of the country is finally rid of insurgency.

Addressing newsmen in Abuja, the Director of Defense Information, Major-General Chris Olukolade, said the military was conscious that the fight was not over and it would, therefore, not relent.

He promised that nothing would be taken for granted, while enjoining Nigerians to maintain the posture.

Olukolade said many communities in the North-East had been sufficiently cleared to guarantee the return of citizens to normal living.

He then urged Nigerians to, at all-times, remain vigilant and conscious of their environment, while also admonishing them to be on the lookout for unrepentant terrorists, including their collaborators or sympathizers.

While commending Nigerians across every stratum for the recent show of solidarity with the military, including staging rallies in its support, Olukolade, however, warned the media to be especially wary of cynics and saboteurs, who, he said, were unhappy that the war against terror was being won.

“However, while these support and show of love are being savored, the attitude and activities of segments of the society who are still hell bent on undermining the morale of our fighting force, by deliberately playing down the operational successes so far achieved remains very unfortunate indeed.

“In a bid to spitefully drown the efforts of our troops, this group of people have been mischievously and exaggeratingly reporting the supportive roles of foreign allies to the detriment of our operational success in the fight against terror.

“They go to every extent to ridicule, taunt or project every falsehood, purely to score some points in the clandestine sympathy for the terrorists. This unpatriotic posture is directly or indirectly undermining the esteemed status of Nigeria in the comity of nations,” he lamented.

According to him, “the current turn of the tide against the terrorists is an initiative conceived and being driven by the Nigerian military, but enjoying the backing of the reinvigorated MultiNational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), which has troops from Niger, Chad and Cameroon.”

He said the continuous aerial bombardment of identified terrorists’ cells and hideouts by the Nigerian Air Force and subsequent ground offensive by the Nigerian troops pursuing the dislodged terrorists is proving worthwhile.

“Our partners are entrusted with employing the instrumentality of the MNJTF to contain any terrorists who heads towards our borders with neighboring countries and preventing the formation of any new safe haven elsewhere,” he said.

While recognizing the contributions of partners in the operations, Olukolade explained that their roles really had been much limited to their respective border areas, by preventing Boko Haram elements to run into their countries while fleeing from Nigeria and also preventing the terrorists to maintain safe havens in those neighboring countries.

The forces, he said, had been working hard in consonance with the terms and spirit of the memorandum of understanding that preceded the operation.

“There have been instances where these provisions for the operation of the MNJTF have afforded our partners the latitude required to pursue or beat back a retreating band of terrorists into Nigerian territory, as was the case in Gamboru and other locations not far from the border,” he clarified.

He added that “unfortunately, some interest groups who seek to misinterpret this fruitful collaboration are seeking to drive a wedge between the Nigerian military and it’s supporting military formations or contingent, by deliberately trying to denigrate and ridicule the effort of the Nigerian forces.

“If other militaries that have just joined the war against the terrorists would be described in some warped reports as ‘battle-hardened’, how would any sensible commentator or reporter describe the gallant Nigerian forces that have been battling these mercenary-ridden terrorists for over five years now say?”

Olukolade maintained that the Nigerian military would not be distracted or detracted from the current momentum geared towards stamping out terrorism not only in Nigeria, but in the entire sub-region.

He then reiterated that that “whereas Defense Headquarters values and appreciates the ongoing collaborative effort of the troop contributing nations of the MNJTF, there has been no compromise of any aspect of Nigeria’s sovereignty or soil to any foreign force.”

Source: TRIBUNE