Borno State governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, has donated N100 million to support the families of slain soldiers and those wounded in the ongoing fight against insurgency in the North-East region.
The donation was made on Saturday at an Eid-el-Kabir Sallah luncheon hosted jointly by the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, and the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar, which was held at Maimalari Barracks in Maiduguri.
Governor Zulum presented a cheque of N100million to the Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai, Major General Abdussalam Abubakar, and stated that each of the soldiers wounded in action would be given N500,000 while the remaining amount would be distributed among families left by the soldiers killed in action in the ongoing fight against insurgency.
The presentation of the cheque was witnessed by the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar, and the Force Commander, Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF), Major General Godwin Mutkut.
Other prominent personalities present included a member of the House of Representatives, Engr. Bukar Talba, Secretary to Borno State Government, Alhaji Bukar Tihani, Head of Service, Dr Muhammad Ghuluze, Acting Chief of Staff, Dr Babagana Mustapha Mallumbe, APC Chairman, Hon. Bello Ayuba, among many senior government officials.
Governor Zulum commended the resilience and patriotism of the Nigerian Armed Forces, emphasising that their sacrifices should never be forgotten. He said, “Your commitment on the frontlines, often under extreme conditions and far from your families, is not lost on us. We remain eternally grateful for your service and will never take your sacrifices for granted.”
The governor also assured the military leadership of his continued support, stating, “Borno State will continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Nigerian Army and all security agencies in the fight against insurgency and rebuilding our communities for a peaceful and prosperous future.”
in his remarks, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar, lauded the troops for the recent successes recorded in the North-East theatre of operation.
Abubakar reitrated the commitment of President Bola Tinubu towards enhancing the capacity of the Armed Forces through provision of modern arms, vehicles and equipment to ensure that the war against insurgency, banditry and other criminalities were brought to logical conclusion within the shortest possible time.
The CAS said the Sallah luncheon with the troops, including wounded soldiers, provided a unique opportunity to appreciate the sacrifices, loyalty and camaraderie of the troops in the theatre and other operations across the country.
Earlier in his remarks, the Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai, Major General Abdulsalam Abubakar, said the presence of the Chief of Army Staff and the Chief of Air Staff at this year’s joint Sallah remained steadfast in the theatre’s resolve to restore normalcy to the North-East region.
He said he was pleased to announce that troops were highly motivated, and committed to achieving the overall objectives of the mandate of the Joint Task Force (NE), OPHK, which has remains “to facilitate the restoration of normalcy in the North-East Region to enable socio-economic activities to thrive.”
