Nigeria needs assistance of UN, others to demine Sambisa – Buratai

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai has
called for deliberate effort to remove mines from the
Sambisa after the sack of the terrorists from the forest.
The Chief of Army Staff, who made the call in an
interview in Maiduguri on Sunday, said that this effort
will require the assistance of the United Nations,
relevant NGOs and development partners.
According to Buratai, this is because such project
requires much resources and effort that the country
alone may not be able to finance.
“The army is currently doing a limited demining of routes
in the forest to enable troops to move around for
operations.
“Strictly speaking, we have not started demining the
sambisa forest.
“The areas we are concentrating on are where we are
working, where our troops will have to move from one
point to the other.
“These are the efforts we are making to create safe
lanes for troops to pass from one point to the other.
“But, for our deliberate demining efforts, it will require
much, much resources, much more effort, and we may
even request for the civilian demining support in that
regard.
“Demining is not restricted to the military only, there are
several organisations that have been doing this, the UN
is one and there are other NGOs that are involved which
actually work under the umbrella of the UN.
“So, as comprehensive efforts, these bodies need to be
invited to support what the military is doing right now in
a limited capacity in that regard,’’ Buratai said.
He, however, said the army had acquired more
equipment for the demining to make the areas where
troops operate in the Sambisa safe for them.

Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai

On remnants of the terrorists, Buratai said of the three

affected states by insurgency in the North-East, Yobe

and Adamawa were now almost “100 per cent free of

the insurgent’’ except Borno.

The army chief, however, said that some terrorists were

still believed to be hiding in bushes in remote areas in

some Local Government Areas in Adamawa and Yobe.

According to him, we are following them.

Buratai said what was needed now was massive

deployment of police and civil defence personnel in

major towns, and communities where people had

returned to.

“We need more policemen deployed even in Maiduguri,

Damaturu, Bama, Damasak, Gubio, Monguno and Baga

and other towns where people have returned, they –

police need to really take over.

“Apart from the regular police, the Mobile Police also are

key, we need them to be there.

“There are concerns all over that at this stage we really

need the civil authority to come and take up their

responsibilities fully,’’ Buratai said.

This, he said would relieve the army from civil job to

enable troops concentrate and move deep into the

bushes for clearance and mop up of remnants of the

Boko Haram terrorists.

“Some Immigration and Customs personnel have been

deployed. I am aware that they are in some border

towns like Ngamboru Gala and Damasak, and some

other areas,’’ he said.

On Amnesty International (AI) continuous accusation of

human rights violations by personnel of the army,

Buratai insisted that the army do not infringe on

individual rights.

He said the army was guided by laws, including the 1999

constitution, its own rules of engagement and

international law on armed conflict in its operations.

“We know what we are doing, definitely we will not

infringe on individual rights.

“We have our own constitutional role; we have our own

rules of engagement which are in tandem with our

constitution, in tandem with even the international

humanitarian law and the laws of armed conflict.

“If, in course of our duty, someone feels that something

has gone wrong contrary to what they believe in and they

go beyond to call for arms embargo and denial of certain

weapons or equipment to the Nigerian military, I think

the government will address that appropriately.

“This accusation or denial has been on even before the

administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, the

embargo has been on, and they have been denying the

military of some quite important equipment but what

happened, we still defeat the Boko Haram terrorists.

“That is what we are all acknowledging and indeed

celebrating.

“By and large, I think it (arms denial) has no

consequence for now even if they continue to deny us

the equipment for us to prosecute the counter

insurgency operation in the country.

“But that does not mean that we do not need such

equipment. We need external support. We have a number

of countries, who are supporting us and we are doing our

best with whatever we have, we utilise them effectively,’’

he said.