The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede has expressed optimism that the insurgent group, Lakurawa, will soon be eradicated, citing strengthened cooperation with Nigeria’s neighbouring countries.
Oluyede gave the assurance while addressing State House correspondents after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu on Monday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Speaking on his visit, Lt.-Gen. Oluyede emphasised his commitment to improving Nigeria’s security landscape, promising a fresh approach to tackling insecurity.
“I am here to reassure Mr. President that I will do my best to make Nigeria better in terms of security,” he said. “I intend to explore doing things differently, and I believe this will lead to better results.”
The Army Chief also provided updates from his recent visits to military formations in the Northwest and Northeast.
He disclosed that his interactions with officers and soldiers emphasised the urgency of ending insecurity in the country.
“I was there to speak with my officers and soldiers, and to make them realise the need to bring all these forms of insecurity to an end. I made it clear that I expect better results going forward,” he said.
On the cross-border dimension of Lakurawa’s activities, Oluyede highlighted increased collaboration with neighbouring Niger Republic as a key factor in the fight against the insurgents.
“We are hitting them hard on the Nigerian side, and what usually happens is that they flee to Niger Republic. Now that Niger Republic is coming on board, very soon, Lakurawa will be a thing of the past,” he stated.
On his visit the Villa he said, “Well, in a way it’s related to my appointment, I am here to reassure Mr President that I will do my best to make Nigeria better in terms of security and that I’m going to explore doing this maybe in a different way.
“I’ll get some other results that will make Nigeria better. That’s my major aim of coming and to seek his support, which he’s been doing over the years, and I expect that he will support us to do better.”