SAN FRANCISCO, May 29, (THEWILL) – Outgone Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj.-Gen. Lucky Irabor, has disagreed with the statement credited to Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State that Boko Haram terrorists was only decimated and not defeated, insisting that the claim was not applicable in military operations.
Stressing that the terrorists had been defeated, Irabor argued that no single local government area or piece of territory in the North-East hotbeds of the insurgency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states was in the hands of the terrorists group.
He said: “Boko Haram has been defeated. They no longer have the capacity to carry out the ferocious attacks on communities like they used to do in the past. Their logistics base has been taken out. They can no longer move in convoys and wreak havoc on communities.
“The governor could be looking at the situation from the fact that civil authority has been affected by displacements of the civil populace and people are yet to fully return to reclaimed communities, but it is a gradual process. That is understandable. If I were in his shoes, I would think the same way.”
On why troops were still being killed in battle when Boko Haram had reportedly been defeated, Irabor said: “The defeat of the terrorists and reclaiming of territories is not a guarantee that peace is absolute right now. Peace is a state that is futuristic.
‘’That is why we are still around carrying out clearance operations. It does not mean that the end has come completely.
“We also need other stakeholders to play their roles to reach the near absolute peace required. By this, I mean the citizens, returnee IDPs, the state government and others will make absolute peace possible.”
Commenting on the milestones made so far in clearance operations, the commander said: “We have made significant gains in terms of reducing the arsenals available to Boko Haram. Within the period, so many Chibok girls have been released, though through negotiation but I want to say they were released due to pressure of the military’s action closing in on them.”
Irabor, who described allegation of late payment of allowances to troops or in some cases, non-payment as strange, maintained that he was not aware of anything of such, noting that in the past when such issues occurred, they were resolved.
On complaints of non-rotation of troops contrary to the operational guidelines of military operation, he said, “We are making arrangement for that. Some of us have been here a long time. But rotation has started. As I am speaking, over 600 troops have been rotated in the last one month. Many troops will be inducted shortly into the operation”.
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