The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-General Tukur Buratai has said the main thrust of the military operations in the Northeast is to decapitate all the remaining terrorists’ factions.

“With this feat achieved, the relevance of Abubakar Shekau, leader of a faction of Boko Haram, is no longer of any consequence,” Buratai said.

In a statement issued on Friday in Abuja, by Brig.-General Sani Usman, the Director of Army Public Relations, Buratai commend the Theatre Commander, Operations Lafiya Dole and troops for neutralising five top commanders of the Boko Haram group.

He expressed satisfaction with the zeal and determination of troops to capture the factional leader, Shekau, dead or alive, in line with his directive which is yet to be achieved.

The Army chief, on July 21, gave the Theatre Commander, Maj.-General Ibrahim Attahiru, a 40-day deadline to capture the terrorists’ leader.

The deadline expired on August 30.

He noted that the five key leaders of the insurgents recently eliminated by the troops “were the closest associates and right hand men of the terrorists’ group leader – Shekau.”

“Within the same period, 82 of the Boko Haram terrorists were eliminated.

“Therefore, the commander was very close to achieving the directive.

“The theatre commander has asked for the extension of the deadline and it was granted.

“Given deadlines and extensions are strategic means of focusing troops’ efforts in the theatre,” Buratai said.

He urged the people of the Northeast and indeed Nigerians to be more confident of the Nigerian troops and go about their normal activities. (NAN)

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