The Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshall, Mr. Alex Badeh, Tuesday dismissed insinuations that Niger and Chad have withdrawn from the multinational force fighting insurgency in the North East.
The Defence Chief, however said the two countries have withdrawn their soldiers from Baga, a town in Borno, bordering Chad where Boko Haram attacked the multinational barrack last weekend.
Badeh, who was responding to questions from State House Correspondents in Abuja on Tuesday, spoke after an emergency security meeting at the presidential villa.
The meeting was attended by the service chiefs, governors and members of the National Assembly from Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, where troops are fight full scale war against insurgents.
The meeting was presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan.
Responding to a question, Badeh said: “They have not pulled out of multinational force because we have held several meetings; they are still part of the multinational force.”
“What has been happening is that they have not contributed troops to the point of Baga, he explained.
Saying that,”Chad has people on their own side but I believe they have withdrawn. Niger had people with us, they too withdrew and left Nigeria only at the multinational force headquarters.”
The CDS stressed the need for further collaboration with the security agencies in Chad, Niger and Cameroun to check the activities of the insurgents, assuring that the army would overcome the challenges of insurgency in the country.
He, however said that it would be difficult to shut the borders in Niger, Chad, Cameroon with Nigeria because of the porous nature of the border areas.
