[UPDATED] Buhari, Buratai Meet Behind Closed Door

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday met behind closed door with Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Speaking to journalists after the meeting, the Army boss said he briefed the President on the security situation in the North West.

“The troops are putting in their best and that has resulted in the tremendous successes we are recording. The fight is still ongoing and over 1429 of this Boko Haram terrorists have been neutralised and we have arrested over 166 Boko Haram terrorists informants, their spies, couriers on logistics and their coordinators in the villages, the towns and even the forest.

“So, this is a tremendous achievement, our intelligence corps along with the Department of State Services and of course our good friends the civilian Joint Task Force CJTF, have worked very hard to see that this is achieved and I assure you that things will continue to improve as the days go by.

“I came in form the North-East just a day ago and it behoves on me to brief the President on what transpired there during the two months I stayed there. I have given him details of what the troops are doing and what we have achieved as well as what we intend to achieve in the nearest future.

“So far so good, even before I came, the President has been getting reports on what is happening in the North-East. So, with this brief that I gave him this morning, is further confirmation of what he has been receiving and so far, so good, he is impressed with the performance of the troops in the North-East and the effort put in so far has paid off.

“We will continue to deal with the situation, not only in the North-East but all other parts of the country. Tremendous success has been achieved and we are very happy with what is going on,” he said.

Mr Buratai, a lieutenant-general, said the morale of the troops fighting the terrorists in the North-east is very high, especially after he joined them for two months in the North-east.

“Surely you will agree with me that the troops’ morale is very high; it is something of trust, something of confidence, and something that will raise the spirit of any officer or soldier when he sees his Chief of Army Staff in the trenches along with him.

“This has raised the morale of the troops and has also made them to put in their best and that is what has resulted in us doing so well. and it’s still ongoing.

“Surely military operations are carried out with plan and the overall plan is to rid the whole of the North-West and other emerging threats that are coming up in other parts of the country especially the North-Central and some areas that hitherto have been quiet. We will continue to tackle any form of insecurity that is emerging in collaboration with all other security agencies and our colleagues in the Navy and the Airforce.

“We have very loyal and courageous officers and soldiers. While in the battlefield there, so I am very much impressed and happy with my officers and soldiers. This is to show the level of morale that they had while I was there and OI will continue to be with them, to raise their morale,” he said.