Defence Advisers of 17 countries accredited to Nigeria have lauded the efforts of the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF), for the successes recorded in tackling terrorists around the Lake Chad region.
The Defence Advisers gave the commendation when they paid a working visit to the headquarters of MNJTF at N’Djamena, Chad, on Wednesday, June 23, 2022, for an on-the-spot assessment of the operational activities of the troops in the Lake Chad region.
MNJTF’s Chief of Military Public Information, Lt Col Kamarudeen Adegoke, in a statement, said the Defence Advisers stated that the tasks carried out by the troops are huge, exemplary, and in line with global best practices.
He said, “The Defence Advisers are from Uganda, Zambia, Gambia, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, China, Cote D’Ivoire, France, India, Morocco, Poland, Sierra Leone, South Korea, Ukraine, Denmark, and Algeria. The visit was basically to have an on-the-spot assessment of the operational activities of the MNJTF in the Lake Chad region.
“The team was led by the Director Foreign Liaison (DFL), Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), Maj Gen ES Buba, who commended the MNJTF and her troops for their efforts in degrading the criminal elements in and around the Lake Chad region.
“General Buba further stated that the tasks carried out by the MNJTF are huge, adding that it is exemplary and in line with global best practices.”
While responding the Force Commander (FC), MNJTF, Maj Gen Abdul Khalifah Ibrahim, thanked the Defence Advisers for the visit, saying it signified recognition of the work of the MNJTF. He added that a lot has been achieved in the fight against insurgency in the Lake Chad region.
According to him, “the successes recorded were through robust coordination and collaboration among the Troop Contributing Countries.”
He praised the conduct of Operation Lake Sanity, which he said was conducted in close coordination with Operation Desert Sanity in Nigeria.
“A lot of pressure was imposed on the Boko Haram/ISWAP criminals in the Lake Chad Islands and settlements known as Tunbuns,” he added.
Gen Ibrahim thanked the troop-contributing countries of Nigeria, Niger, Cameroun, and Chad while also appreciating the EU, UK, and China among others for their support to the MNJTF.
He called for greater collaboration and synergy in the Lake Chad basin and the Sahel region to tackle the problem of religious fundamentalism.
Earlier, the delegation was adequately briefed on the activities of the MNJTF. Thereafter, there was a robust interactive session in which issues were raised and discussed with great participation by the visitors before the delegation returned to Nigeria.
