Nigeria army warns Boko Haram
Iran Press TV
Thu Mar 20, 2014 9:17AM GMT
Nigeria's chief of army staff has called on Boko Haram members to embrace negotiations or get crushed by the military.
Lieutenant General Kenneth Minimah said on Wednesday that the "dialogue table is still open, else the national power is available to the armed forces to crush" Boko Haram activities.
The warning came after an unscheduled visit to the northeastern city of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State and Boko Haram's traditional home base.
Minimah said the visit was aimed at assessing the condition of troops as well as increasing their morale in their fight against Boko Haram.
"We are here on routine visit to assess the condition of our troops, to visit the injured and the wounded in the hospital," he said.
The top Nigerian military figure also urged the Nigerian people to trust in military's capabilities to bring an end to the prolonged insurgency in the country.
Nigerian Chief of Air Staff Vice Marshal Adesola Amosun, who accompanied Minimah on his visit, also said the two were there to convince Boko Haram members that "they need to come either to the table or drop their guns."
The Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for a number of deadly attacks in various parts of Nigeria since 2009.
Over the past few years, violence in the north of Africa's most populous country has claimed the lives of more than 3,600 people, including killings by the security forces.
The Boko Haram group, whose name means "Western education is forbidden," says its goal is to overthrow the government in Nigeria.
MOS/HSN
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