Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, Chief of Army Staff (COAS), has relocated to Maiduguri, Borno State, with his Principal Staff Officers (PSOs) to lead a decisive campaign against Boko Haram and other criminal groups disrupting peace in the North-East.

The move is a response to President Bola Tinubu?s directive to curb insecurity, following recent terrorist attacks on military positions and previously liberated villages.

Oluyede spent the past two weeks in the North-East but briefly returned to Abuja for a meeting with Tinubu and service chiefs. He returned to Maiduguri on Saturday, May 17, joined by General Officers Commanding (GOCs), commanders of various army operations, commandants of training and tri-service institutions, and other senior officers. They are attending the COAS quarterly conference, relocated to Borno to strategise against terrorism.

The decision to hold the conference in Maiduguri was made at the last minute to address the terrorist threat. Oluyede will oversee Operation Hadin Kai, the counter-terrorism initiative, and visit troops? locations across the North-East to assess successes and challenges firsthand. The conference aims to provide Oluyede with direct interaction with GOCs, field commanders, and senior officers to guide army operations.

In April, Oluyede redeployed over 11,000 officers, appointing new commanders and commandants to strengthen the fight against terrorism. The week-long conference will review past decisions, discuss updates, and make strategic decisions to tackle Nigeria?s security challenges.

Recent military efforts have significantly weakened Boko Haram and ISWAP, with troops neutralising commanders, foot soldiers, and hideouts, leading to mass surrenders of terrorists and their families. The conference is expected to produce strategies to swiftly end the activities of terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, and other criminal groups. (Saturday Sun)

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