Boko Haram | UK hails Nigerian military’s successes

The United Kingdom, U.K, has lauded the successes so far recorded by the Nigerian armed forces in tackling the Boko Haram insurgency in the North East.

The U.K. Assistant Chief of Defence Staff, Rear Admiral Simon James Ancona gave this commendation when he led a delegation of the UK Ministry of Defence and Engagement on a courtesy visit to the Nigeria Chief of Defence Staff, General Gabriel Olonisakin.

Troops of Operation Lafiya Dole and Multinational Joint Task Force, MNJTF, recently captured Mallam Fatori , a town in northern Borno state, during which it killed several of the Boko Haram terrorists.

Olonisakin had before now stated that troops operating in the North East have so dealt with Boko Haram sect that they can no longer launch attacks and claim territories, assuring that the military will continue its onslaught against Boko Haram insurgents.

The U.K delegation promised to collaborate with Nigeria towards achieving further success.

In his speech, Rear Admiral Ancona reiterated that the way the Nigerian military subdued the Boko Haram terrorists has further put the Nigerian Armed Forces in particular and the nation in general on a positive radar of the global assessment index.

He commended the military and allied security agencies for the doggedness and sacrifice that have led to the decimation of the murderous terrorist group and called for sustenance of the onslaught to wipe insurgency from the land.

Ancona also pledged that the UK Armed Forces would continue to work closely with their counterpart in Nigeria towards strengthening the capacity of the Nigerian military to be more potent and responsive in the discharge of their constitutional mandate.

The UK team leader explained that the delegation was in Nigeria as a follow-up to a variety of regional and global security matters discussed earlier in the year at a Peace Keeping Conference held in the UK.

He said that the visit would further strengthen and improve the historic and harmonious bilateral relationships between the two great nations, assuring the CDS that the British contingent in Nigeria would always abide by extant rules and operations mandate of troops in Nigeria.

Responding, Olonisakin expressed his profound gratitude to the UK Government for all the assistance the Nigerian Armed Forces have enjoyed from the UK.

He, however, solicited stronger ties with the U.K in intelligence sharing, military hardware, manpower capacity building and training in counter Improvised Explosive Devices, IEDs, and Deep Penetration Detection Devices, DPDDs.

[daily Post]