Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, has given a three-month ultimatum to over-weight Army personnel to shape up or be shown the way out of the forces.
While fielding questions from newsmen after addressing the Chief of Army Staff’s third quarter conference which opened at the Army Headquarters, Abuja, yesterday, Buratai also renewed the military’s assurance to Nigerians that everything possible would be done to facilitate the rescue of the Chibok schoolgirls seized by Boko Haram terrorists in April 2014.
The COAS said over-weight soldiers, including officers, have been given till the end of December to shed the excess baggage or start planning for another career, because after that period those who could not comply will not be allowed to continue with the Army.
While explaining the level of effort put in by the military in their attempt to trace the missing schoolgirls, Buratai stated that the safety of the girls remains paramount to the military even as it prosecutes the counter-insurgency operation.
He said he would not rule out suggestions that the Chibok schoolgirls may still be held within Boko Haram secret camps in the Sambisa Forest.
According to him, “The issue of the Chibok girls is very crucial, we are making all efforts to clear the terrorists and after clearing them we will rescue the Chibok girls in one piece. I believe that the girls must be somewhere within the general area of the forest, but we are not yet sure exactly where they were kept.
“As soon as this is confirmed, we will attempt to see what we can do to bring them back in one piece. It is very crucial because their safety is very important. They could be somewhere else. So, we are taking this issue in piece-meal so that we are sure of where we are and how we are going about it and we believe that we can find a solution to it very soon.
“It is not an issue of the Army alone, it is a collective issue and the Air Force is there. Also working very hard is the Department of State Services. Our main concern is to provide the ground support to ensure that we do it very well. By and large, there is progress.” [Mynewswatchtimesng]
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