President Muhammadu Buhari has issued one of his first directives during his Inauguration speech today, after being sworn in as President. He announced that the Nigerian Military Command will be moving from Abuja to Maiduguri in order to fight Boko Haram.
Maiduguri, the State capital of Borno, has been the epicenter of the battle against Boko Haram. It is also where about 200 Chibok schoolgirls were abducted and still have not been returned. Maiduguri has also been subjected to unrelenting attacks and suicide bombings for several years.
President Buhari stated during his speech that, “The command centre will be relocated to Maiduguri and remain until Boko Haram is completely subdued. But we can not claim to have defeated Boko Haram without rescuing the Chibok girls and all other innocent persons held hostage by insurgents.”
President Buhari, by issuing this policy change in his inaugural address, is sending the message that restoring security from Boko Haram will be a major priority for his administration. This move is believed to improve the coordination of the military in carrying out counter-attacks against Boko Haram terrorists.
In his inaugural speech, President Buhari described the Boko Haram situation by saying, “through official bungling, negligence, complacency or collusion Boko Haram became a terrifying force taking tens of thousands of lives and capturing several towns and villages covering swathes of Nigerian sovereign territory.”