Nigerian Major-General Tukur Buratai has been appointed as the Force Commander of the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) currently undertaking anti-terror operation in the North Eastern part of the country and has resumed duty at the MNJTF headquarters in Ndjamena, the Chadian capital.
The recently reorganised MNJTF is in line with the agreement of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) member states – Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon with Benin Republic as honourary member.
Announcing Buratai’s appointment on Wednesday, June 3, 2015 was the Director of Defence Information, Major-General Chris Olukolade, who further revealed that Buratai was a director at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja before his new appointment.
He said: “The reorganised MNJTF arrangement is in line with the decisions of member countries of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC), which include Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroun, with Benin Republic as a honorary member.
“The arrangement has the backing of partners in the fight against Boko Haram namely; France, the UK and the USA.
“The MNJTF has now been sectionised into three sectors to achieve more effect in its operations with one of the sectors headquarters retained in Baga.
“The MNJTF was formed as a result of the need by the LCBC member countries to pool their effort together in a bid to provide a common and coordinated solution to the security challenges in the Lake Chad Basin region, especially the security challenges posed by terrorists in the region and beyond. The MNJTF will work and collaborate with the forces of the member countries in the fight against terrorists.”
