Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
No fewer than 1,200 troops Chadian troops deployed in Nigeria have been reportedly withdrawn.
They were deployed to give combat support to Nigerian soldiers fighting Boko Haram in 2019 as part of a regional agreement by countries around the Lake Chad to combat insurgency, which surpassed 10 years in mid-2019.
“It’s our troops who went to aid Nigerian soldiers months ago returning home. They have finished their mission. None of our soldiers remains in Nigeria,” French newswire, AFP, quoted a Chadian military spokesperson as saying.
The withdrawn troops would be returned to their previous outposts around the Lake Chad to further strengthen security around the border areas, AFP reported citing Azem Bermandoa, a Chadian army colonel.
The newswire said Tahir Erda Tahiro, head of Chadian military, indicated that troops would be deployed if the countries agreed to a new joint measure for deployment.
Niger, Chad, Nigeria and Cameroon have been waging a collective battle against insurgency, which began in Nigeria in July 2019 and has continued to defy military response.
Meanwhile, member representing Michika/Madagali Federal Constituency of Adamawa in the House of Representatives, Zakariah Nyampa, has appealed to the Federal Government to beef-up security in Michika to forestall future attacks by Boko Haram.
Nyampa, in a statement, yesterday, said there was urgent need to increase logistical support to soldiers in Michika to enable them ward off insurgents from the area. The lawmaker, who commended the Nigerian Army for repelling the attack on Michika by insurgents on January 2, said the deployment of additional trucks would help troops effectively secure the area.
“We want government to intensify efforts to know the whereabouts of Rev. Lawan, the DCC secretary of Michika. Government should also provide more trucks to border areas, like Michika.”