The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shuaibu, landed in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, at approximately 11:00 am on Saturday. Upon his arrival, he proceeded to the headquarters of the Northeast Joint Taskforce, Operation Hadin Kai, located within the Maimalari Cantonment.
His trip comes two days after President Bola Tinubu issued a stern directive to security chiefs, ordering them to dismantle every bandit and terrorist hideout across the country and ensure the immediate rescue of all abducted persons. Defence Minister Christopher Musa disclosed the presidential mandate on October 15 following a high-level security meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, explaining that the administration is determined to guarantee a safe environment for Nigerians ahead of the upcoming elections scheduled for January. Quoting the President’s instructions, Musa stated, “The directive from the President is: all of us must go all out to fish out and rescue all those that have been abducted, kidnapped, wherever they are,” emphasizing that no terrorist or bandit camps should be permitted to exist anywhere in Nigeria.
Although official sources have not explicitly confirmed whether the Army Chief’s presence in Borno is directly connected to the President’s orders, Lieutenant General Shuaibu is scheduled to hold crucial operational briefings and strategic meetings with field, unit, and theatre commanders positioned throughout the state.
