Maj Gen W. Shaibu, who leads the Joint Task Force in the North East, has advocated for non-violent methods alongside military action to fight insurgency.
He mentioned this at the theatre Command Headquarters in Maiduguri on Friday during a meeting with a group from the Accra Initiative, which focuses on using non-violent strategies to combat insurgency.
Maj Gen Shaibu who was represented by Maj Gen K.E Chigbu emphasized that just using force isn’t enough to stop insurgency; it sometimes pushes insurgents to surrender.
He mentioned various non-violent activities the command is involved in, like building and fixing schools, providing clean water, offering medical help, and organizing competitions for students to recite the Quran. These efforts have encouraged many insurgents to give up.
Maj Gen Shaibu praised the collaboration between his command, the Nigerian Navy, Air Force, and other security agencies in the North East.
He also commended the efforts of the Borno State Government, with support from the federal government, in carrying out non-violent activities through organizations like the North East Development Commission.
He thanked the Accra Initiative team for visiting, saying it shows that the military plays a big role in bringing peace back to the North East, which is the main goal of their operation.
The leader of the Accra Initiative team, Hon Aliyu Gebi, explained that their visit aimed to inform the command about their non-violent efforts to support operations. They expressed their readiness to work closely with the military on non-violent strategies.
Hon Gebi also asked for a representative from the command to join their Fusion Cell, a group that collaborates on various activities.
He expressed condolences for the recent loss of Nigerian Army personnel in Delta State and thanked the military for their sacrifices.
During the visit, there was an interactive session, signing of the visitor’s book, exchanging of gifts, and taking group photos.
Among those present were Maj Gen Michael Amoah from the Multinational Joint Task Force, Brig Gen S. Adamu from Operation SAFE CORRIDOR, component commanders, the Chief of Staff of the Theatre Command, senior officers, and other members of the Accra Initiative.
