Chidi Samuel || The Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, on Monday advised those agitating for a separate state from Nigeria to perish the thought as the Country will not be divided in his lifetime.
The Army Chief gave the advice after he received the “Millennium Hero’’ award conferred on him by a coalition of over 80 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) at the Army Headquarters, Abuja, in recognition of his leadership for the army in decimating and degrading Boko Haram terrorist group.
According to Buratai, those intent on destabilising the country would not succeed as the Nigerian Army and other security agencies were ready to protect the nation from disintegration.
“Those individuals and groups that are bent on destablising our country I think they have to wait till maybe the next three or four millennium for them to do that.
“That is if maybe the next generation of officers and men will allow them at all.
“Having been given the Millennium Hero award, I want to call on all the agitators for separation and other acts of distabilisation, they better forget it, not in this era, not in this millennium,’’ Mr. Buratai said.
The army chief assured that insurgency and terrorism were now at the beginning of their end.
He said the situation now signaled “the beginning of victory and continuous victory over all groups that are bent on destabilising the country, especially in terms of security’’.
“I want to say that we would continue to do our best to maintain security atmosphere that is needed as provided for in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“We have been tasked to defend our country.
“We have taken a number of measures to ensure that the remnants of the Boko Haram terrorists that are on the run are finally cleared, many have surrendered, many of them have been captured.”