From Godwin Tsa Abuja
Amid heightened insecurity in the country, a civil society organisation, Northeast Peace Ambassadors, has commended the efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari and the Nigerian military for the restoration of peace in the North-East and a hitch-free Christmas across the country.
The group noted in a statement that the President is living up to his promise to secure all Nigerians regardless of their religion, tribe or political affiliation.
The peace ambassadors, through the group’s President and Secretary-General, Alhaji Sadiq Bulama and Mallam Usman Geidam, respectively, called on Nigerians to support the Buhari administration in order to make the country a better place for all.
‘You are aware that there are six states in the North-East namely, Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe states, [and] since the holiday season began, all the six states have experienced peace and tranquillity and people have to this moment been enjoying the festive season.
‘People travelled from far and near to spend time with loved ones as roads that were considered dangerous in the past have been cleared of all security threats and opened by the military while terrorists’ hideouts have been subdued and their foot soldiers flushed,’ they said.
‘It is, therefore, a blissful time for most families as troops remained in the trenches to ensure the safety of lives and property.’
According to them, the only incident that nearly threatened the peace and security of the region was the attempted attack on Garkida town of Gombi Local Government of Adamawa State which was repelled by gallant troops.
‘Today, those of us living in the Northeast, not those receiving third party reports, are happy to announce that we have celebrated the Christmas in peace and love, and we are looking forward to celebrating the New Year also in peace.
‘All these were made possible by the effective leadership style of President Muhammadu Buhari and the coordination of the Service Chiefs who have turned the heat on the terrorists and insurgents making them flee to the borders between Nigeria and Chad and struggling to survive on those fringes.
‘Though Boko Haram still operate within the tiny fringes, the remaining part of the Northeast is now peaceful.
‘Even the pockets of attacks by Boko Haram and other criminal elements to scare people during the Yuletide was contained effectively that most people are not even aware that such a thing took place.
‘The Service Chiefs were on top of the situation and our troops were fully on guard to repel the criminals, killing many of them while others escaped with injuries.
‘We commend the Nigerian Military for mobilising Ground Toops and the Air Task Force of Operation Lafiya Dole who launched an attack on Saturday to repel the insurgents who invaded surrounding villages after an attempted attack on Garkida on December 24 that was aborted,’ they said.
The organisation said the military have repelled several attacks which could have resulted in several casualties in the course of the year.
