Borno Gov Zulum commissions 400 Civilian JTF enlisted into Nigerian Army

 

Governor Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno State on Wednesday commissioned 400 members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) enlisted into the Nigerian Army, in what has been described as the Super Camp Strategy in the fight against insurgency.

Zulum also approved donation of 100 motorcycles for the army’s remote operations in the state and directed the Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Barr. Kaka Shehu Lawan to provide the motorcycles immediately.

According to a statement on the governor’s Facebook page, the motorcycles are meant for soldiers to use in chasing insurgents who use motorcycles to escape through remote corners in the bush and some tough terrains that vehicles do not easily access.

Both the intervention and commissioning of the CJTF soldiers were conducted at a brief ceremony in Maiduguri which was attended by military commanding officers from Operation Lafiya Dole, leading the fight against Boko Haram.

The 400 soldiers are in the first batch of the recruitment while subsequent batches of the exercise will continue soon, the statement stated.

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The CJTF, a local group which emerged in 2013 to support the Nigerian security forces in the fight against Boko Haram and to protect local communities from attacks by the insurgents was formalised by the Borno State Government through a collaboration with the military, in which members were recruited, trained, kitted, deployed and paid monthly allowances to motivate them, the statement further explained.

Zulum promised to continually support the Nigerian Military, and volunteers among them, hunters, vigilantes and the CJTF, in sustained effort to attain peace and security.

He noted that his administration was planning the reconstruction of more towns and villages, which he acknowledged cannot be possible without adequate security.

The governor renewed his call on Boko Haram insurgents who are hiding in Sambisa forest and bushes in the fringes of the Lake Chad to lay down their arms and surrender.

He said: “For those that are still in the bush, terrorizing innocent lives and destroying properties, I call upon all of them to surrender. You are killing your brothers and sisters, destroying your own infrastructures that were built using money generated through tax from your forefathers. Today we have all seen the level of devastation, nobody is been left, we are all affected in one way or another.”