Insurgency will end this year — Buhari

Ongoing counter-insurgency operations in the North East might be wrapped up this year.

President Muhammadu Buhari, on Friday, said the ongoing counter-insurgency operations in the North East might be wrapped up this year, insisting that with prayers, what has been happening in the country would soon be over.

Buhari, who made this declaration through the Minister of Defence, Major-General Bashir Magashi Salihi (Rtd) in Abuja during a Juma’at Prayer held to commemorate the 2021 Armed Forces Remembrance Day at the National Mosque, stressed that “this year is a year of action.”

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He also noted that the nation would continue to remember the sacrifices made by the fallen heroes and other members of the Armed Forces, saying the government and entire Nigerians would not stop praying for the repose of the souls who paid the supreme price while defending the territorial integrity of the nation.

Magashi said, “This is a year of action and we will finish what we are doing. What is happening in this country will soon be over. This year, we will finish what we are doing; pray for us that we succeed”.

The minister stated that the President assured the families of the fallen heroes that the government would not jettison its plans to improve their standard of living as a matter of top national priority.

According to him, the government is appreciative of the sacrifices of the serving, retired and unknown soldiers who paid the supreme price towards safeguarding the nation’s territorial integrity.

Earlier, the Chief Imam of the Mosque, Dr. Mohammed Adams, who prayed for the repose of the souls of the fallen heroes, also offered prayers for an end to insurgency, banditry, kidnapping and other forms of criminalities ravaging the country.