Timothy Olanrewaju, Maiduguri

The Nigerian military has said the newly launched offensive against Boko Haram in northern Borno tagged Operation LAST HOLD is designed to bring about the total defeat of the terror group in the region.

Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen Tukur Buratai at a press Conference in Maiduguri on Tuesday said the operation aims at destroying Boko Haram’s “strong points and strongholds” around the Lake Chad region.

This comes barely a week after the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for West Africa and the Sahel, Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas, said Boko Haram was far from being defeated. He spoke in Maiduguri during the Lake Chad Basin Governors Forum on the security situation and stability of the area.

The military, however, said at the press conference that the ongoing operation would the ensure total defeat of the insurgents.

“The end-state of Operation Last Hold is the total defeat of the Boko Haram terrorists sect in northern Borno,” Operation Commander Maj. Gen Abba Dikko, representing Buratai, said.

He said the operation was intended to “facilitate the clearance of the Lake Chad waterways of sea weeds and other obstacles obstructing the movement of boats and people” across the water channels.

“It will also ensure the destruction of Boko Haram terrorist camps and strong points in the Lake Chad Basin general area,” he disclosed.

Dikko said the operation was expected to last four months. It would involve deployment of “additional manoeuvre brigades” and other critical military assets in Borno State, explaining that the bombardment of the insurgents’ camps and strongholds in northern Borno would also facilitate the rescue of civilians hostages in their hands.

Boko Haram, which plans to carve out a territory for itself in the northeast states, has carried out several attacks on communities and public institutions for nearly nine years. The group has also stepped up deadly attacks in recent times, including the April 27 attack on Maiduguri, and the May 3 attack on Auno.