The Chairman of the Lake Chad Basin Commission Governors’ Forum and Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, has promised maximum political support for the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), while calling for the urgent deployment of troops to islands across the Lake Chad Basin.
The Governor made the pledge at a security briefing at MNJTF Headquarters on the sidelines of the Lake Chad Basin Governors’ Forum in N’Djamena, Chad.
The Governor said in a statement issued by the Acting Chief Military Public Information Officer, Lt. Col. Iweha Onyenonachi, that while the MNJTF had contributed to the visible improvement of security across the basin, more needed to be done to enable development and commercial activities to thrive.
In particular, he asked for troops to be sent to islands in Nigerian and other national territories in and around the Lake Chad Basin, calling on the MNJTF to accelerate the pace of efforts to establish a more solid security presence in the area.
Continued discussion
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Governor Buni also disclosed that discussions are ongoing with Niger political authorities on the country’s possible return to the MNJTF.
He warned that the vacuum left by the absence of Nigerien forces had created a porous space that terrorists could use for movement, temporary refuge and cross-border criminal activity before launching attacks elsewhere.
On behalf of the troop-contributing countries, the Governor commended President Bola Tinubu for financing Operation LAKE SANITY III, which he said, demonstrated the Nigerian Government’s commitment to improving security and creating the conditions for more socio-economic activity in the basin.
He said he would brief the President on areas that needed further intervention on his return to Nigeria.
Governor Buni also pledged to mobilize political support for the continued operations of the MNJTF and efforts to tackle Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) activities across the Lake Chad Basin.
