Weather hindering war against Boko Haram, says military

The Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Gabriel Olonisakin, has said that the military was currently facing difficulties with the weather condition in the North East to effectively prosecute the war against Boko Haram insurgents.

Olonisakin disclosed this while speaking to State House Correspondents after a meeting between the service chiefs and President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The Defence Chief stated that the meeting with the President yesterday was a routine one to brief the Commanderin- Chief on the general situation in the country and development concerning the war against terrorism in the North East.

“It is a normal consultation to intimate him of the issues on ground. We briefed him on the security situation on ground after a 60-day review and we had to brief him on the challenges we have and ensure that the mandate we have is properly delivered.” He noted.

Answering questions on the specific challenges being faced by the military on the war against terrorism, Olonisakin said: “Of course, the challenges we are looking at are the issues of probably the weather as it were and some other logistics that we feel we should have so that the mandate can be quickly delivered.”

Buhari, in an interview granted to a foreign media organization recently, also confirmed that the weather was posing a hurdle for the military and as soon as the rains were over, the military will have an upper hand.

Olonisakin told reporters that the military would not relent in its pursuit to chase out the insurgents from the country particularly now that a clear directive has been handed over to them by the President.

While responding to questions whether the military was considering an extension of the dealing from the President, the Defence Chief, noted that “We have not said that. The mandate is that we should clear Boko Haram from the occupied territories and ensure that we reclaim all the lost grounds.

That is exactly what we are doing.” He said “It is a military operation and military operations have timelines and these timelines, we are working on the assiduously.”