The Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) has intensified operations to eradicate remnants of Boko Haram terrorists and ISWAP members on the shores of the Lake Chad basin.
The Chief Military Public Information Officer, Lt.-Col. Abubakar Abdullahi disclosed this in a statement released in Maiduguri on Wednesday.
Abdullahi stated that the residents of North East Nigeria and the Far North of Cameroon might observe an increased presence of multinational troops and equipment.
He said that the surge is to bolster the efforts of various national operations and eradicate terrorists and their enclaves in the MNJTF’s areas of operations.
He urged the public not to panic about the troops’ movements but to offer support to them to eradicate the terrorists.
According to him, the MNJTF is determined to cleanse the Lake Chad basin of terrorists, ensuring the safety of the region, and a more secure environment for everyone.
The Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) was established in 1994 by the Federal Republic of Nigeria to checkmate trans-border armed banditry around the general area of Lake Chad Basin (LCB) and facilitate free movement along Nigeria’s northeast border.
Initially, the Force had only troops from the Nigerian Army but operated in liaison with the militaries and security agencies of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) member countries.
However, in 1998, the Force received a boost and was made fully multinational by the inclusion of Chadian and Nigerien troops who alongside their Nigerian counterpart had the mandate of dealing with common cross-border security challenges within the Lake Chad Region.
The establishment of this Force completely changed the tide of events in the area and the situation of insecurity in the LCB was significantly doused until 2009 when the Boko Haram group surfaced within the general area.
This plunged the LCB back into a state of insecurity as the bandits and other cross-border criminal gangs that earlier operated within the LCB provided the recruitment base for the insurgents.
NAN
