Following fresh attacks on some communities in Shinkafi and Maradun local government areas of Zamfara state, President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered a military crackdown on bandits operating in rural communities.
Garba Shehu, senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity, disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday.
“To enable the army carry out this new mandate, the president has approved the request of the minister of defence, Brig-Gen. Mansur Dan Ali (rtd) for the stationing of a full battalion of special forces in Zamfara state, and the operationalization of the newly-established 8 Division of the Nigerian army in Sokoto in the new Order of Battle (OBAT),” the statement read.
“The president has also approved the movement of the 1 Brigade of the Nigerian Army from Sokoto to Gusau upon the take-off of the 8 Division.”
Shehu said the president has also approved the setting up of an intelligence centre in Maiduguri, capital of Borno state, in order to tackle suicide bombings.
“To tackle the desperate actions of Boko Haram terrorists in the north-east, through the use of mostly female, underage girls as suicide bombers, President Buhari has equally approved the setting up of an intelligence fusion centre in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, for the purpose of gathering and sharing intelligence among the security agencies in the country,” the statement read.
“This phase of the war will be intelligence-driven and the new centre is expected to intensify the harvesting and sharing of intelligence so as to bring to an early closure, the desperate last-minute activities of the terrorists.”
