By Kingsley Omonobi

On Friday, the Minister of Defence (HMOD), Alhaji Abubakar Badaru, the Minister of State for Defence, Dr Bello Matawalle and the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Gwabjn Musa, visited front-line troops in the North East.

The Minister, speaking at the Borno State Government House, said the purpose of the visit was to assess the security situations in the state and to discuss the way forward with the state governor.

Alhaji Badaru also assured the people of Borno state of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to addressing all related security issues in the state and the nation in general.

In his response, the Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, thanked the Ministers of Defence and the CDS for the visit.

He assured them of the state’s continuous support of the federal government and the armed forces of Nigeria in particular so that security challenges in the state could be addressed.

He pleaded for more support to Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) in terms of additional manpower and platforms.

Governor Zulum also spoke on the need to clear Lake Chad so that it can be utilized to actualise the President Renewed Hope Agenda.

Similarly, the Hon ministers and CDS were also at the Headquarters of the Theatre Command of OPHK, where they received a briefing from the outgoing Theatre Commander, Maj Gen Waidi Shaibu, on the operational activities, achievements, and challenges of the Theatre Command.

The CDS, speaking on behalf of the ministers, thanked the officers and men of OPHK while charging them with doing more to address the lingering security challenges confronting the North East.

In a related development, the Minister of Defence addressed troops at 212 Battalion Maiduguri.

He further conveyed the appreciation of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and assured them of the administration’s desire to ensure all their operational needs were provided.

Vanguard News