All indications point to a massive offensive against Boko Haram/ISWAP elements by the Nigerian Army in the North-east.
Reports by THISDAY Newspaper say there is massive deployment of men and materiel to the North-east for what appears to be a final push for victory against the terrorist by the Nigerian Army.
It was gathered that the Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin has given an order to the Army to crush Boko Haram and other Terrorist elements in the North-east once and for all.
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In compliance with this order, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Buratai as well as the Chief of of Air Staff, Air Marshall Sadique Abubakar moved their operational commands to the North-east to achieve the objective.
Reports say the Nigerian Military command became unsettled following exploits against Boko Haram by the Tchadian Army which claimed it destroyed 80 percent of the Terrorists.
Idriss Deby, the President of Chad who personally led the operation called on Nigerian and Nigerien military to come and occupy about 22 islands his army captured from Boko Haram.
Before the operation of the Tchadian Army, Boko Haram/ISWAp attacked Nigerian military and civilian targets at will and with deadly casualty figures.
Since the encounter with the Tchadians however, attacks have decreased or ceased completely. The Terrorists were completely overwhelmed when they attempted to invade a town in Yobe over the weekend as the Nigerian Army killed 105 of the attackers.
The Nigerian Army is seeking to take advantage of the momentum to finish the conflict once and for all, kitting the army with fresh equipment from Chinese manufacturers.
About 100 new battle tanks with a firing range of 18 kilometres have been deployed in various operations against the terrorists in the last two weeks according to military sources, underscoring the readiness of the Nigerian Army to deal with Boko Haram decisively this time.
Other equipment bought from the Chinese for the latest offensive include; 35 main battle tanks, 25 Typhoon MRAPs (mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles), 10 Spartan armoured personnel carriers, 20 Armoured Guard Booths, five armoured mine-clearing vehicles, 50 troop-carrying vehicles, 40 Buffalo vehicles, VT-4 main battle tanks and SH5 105 mm self-propelled artillery.
The Airforce have not been left out of the action as the air task force of operation Lafiya Dole has stepped up air strikes against the Terrorists, taking out several top leaders and commanders in the last two weeks.
Troops from the Multi-national Joint Task Force (MNJTF) have also blocked escape routes into Chad, Cameroon and Niger, effectively sealing the remnants of Boko Haram in Nigeria.
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