Military moves to unravel financiers of terrorism

• Sweden donates N22b to Borno relief workers
• Nigeria fortifies ties with Pakistan, takes delivery of aircraft

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai, says investigation has begun to uncover financiers of the Boko Haram insurgents in the North East region of the country.

Buratai, who made the disclosure yesterday in Owerri when he led about 18 senior officers on a courtesy call on Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, thanked the troops for containing the menace.

‘’We are still investigating. That is the truth of the matter,” he said.

The Army chief said presentation had already been made to government to reopen highways recently recaptured from the terrorists in major communities of Borno State.

He said they were in the state to take stock of the last 12 months and project for the coming year in terms of training, capacity and civility

Buratai revealed that three communities in the state were benefiting from the military’s free medical outreach and hopes to fortify ties with the state.

On the army’s attitude towards agitators, he said there were at liberty to protest but noted that could only be impeded on “stringent conditions.

Responding, the governor lauded the military for a good job in the North East and other parts of the country where one form of crisis or the other arose.

In a related development, the Swedish government yesterday delivered household and health consignments worth $56 million (N22.4 billion) for the resettlement of United Nations (UN) humanitarian workers living in unsafe houses within the camps of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Maiduguri camps and its environs.

The country’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Inger Ultvedt, said the gesture was to alleviate the plight of the relief workers, especially those working outside Maiduguri, the state capital.

“This will also facilitate the quick return of IDPs to their liberated communities,” she added.

Meanwhile, the Federal Government and Pakistan have strengthened military ties with a joint partnership on air power.

To this end, the Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, yesterday took delivery of four Super Mushashak aircraft on behalf of the country.

Speaking at the induction ceremony presided over by Pakistan Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman at the Nigerian Airfoce (NAF) Base, Kaduna, Abubakar said the acquisition would further fortify the force.

He said the country had made tremendous progress in platform reactivation, training and welfare of personnel.