The presidential candidate of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria, Mrs Oby Ezekwesili, while lamenting the death of the soldiers wondered why it took the military about a week to confirm the incident, even though its video had already gone viral.
Ezekwesili, in a statement on Sunday, challenged military authorities and the Commander-in-Chief to prove that they had not failed the nation’s soldiers.
She asked the Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government to “publish the names and authentic figures of fallen heroes for Nigerians to know the extent of damage and for record purposes.”
Ezekwesili said, “There are pertinent questions the Federal Government and the military need to answer. How did this latest in a series of killing of our soldiers in frontline of battle catch our country off-guard? Don’t we think the official line that the Presidency and military have been pushing on the state of the terrorism war is endangering our soldiers and nation? Can the government be more honest on the challenges it appears to be facing in prosecuting the war?
“It is no longer acceptable for our heroes to die and not be accorded the honour of gallantry. The FG and the military must accord full military burial rites to the fallen soldiers and also publish the list of others who have died and had been buried discreetly in recent times
“The Federal Government should immediately take measures to protect and preserve our soldiers, military establishments, our people and territory to avoid further deaths. It is time for a review of current operational strategy being used to prosecute the war. It is also high time that our Intel was revamped.”
She advised the military to improve on its intelligence gathering, saying that would be key to defeating the Boko Haram insurgency.
I will go to Chad this week, says minister of defence
Meanwhile, the Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali, will be visiting Chad this week to hold a bilateral meeting with his Chadian counterpart, General Daoud Yaya.
According to a statement by the minister’s Public Relations Officer, Col Tukur Gusau, on Sunday, the visit would centre on the Multinational Joint Task Force troops drawn from Cameroun, Chad, Niger, Nigeria and Benin Republic.
President Muhammadu Buhari had on Thursday reportedly given the directive to the defence minister to go to Chad to discuss the security lapses enabling the terrorists to attack the North-East of Nigeria.
Gusau said the minister would visit Chad at “a later date within the week.”
He said, “The minister is scheduled to visit Chad at a later date within the week to hold a bilateral meeting with his Chadian counterpart, General Daoud Yaya. The visit is in continuation of consultations on the Multi-national Joint Task Force troops.”
Source: Punch