- President Buhari had planned to go on a five-day casual leave, to be spent in his Daura hometown
- The president, however, cancelled the plan in honour of victims of the Boko Haram terrorists in the recent attack in Borno
- Recall that the president had earlier cancelled his trip to Edo state, with a new plan to visit the Nigerian soldiers at the Boko Haram war front in Borno state
President Muhammadu Buhari has cancelled his planned five-day “casual leave’’ as a mark of respect for victims of Boko Haram attacks across the battlefields in the northeast zone of the country.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the president had planned to spend the casual leave at his home country, Daura, Katsina State from November 27 to December 2.
Recall that the president had earlier cancelled his official trip to Benin City, Edo, where he was initially billed to inaugurate the Edo-Azura Power Plant and grace the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Annual Conference.
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NAN reports that already the advanced teams of the president, who left Abuja for Katsina and Benin on Sunday, November 25, had been asked to return.
Legit.ng gathered that the cancellation of the trips would also enable the president to continue his ongoing meetings and consultations with relevant security and intelligence community aimed at addressing the nation’s security challenges.
However, the president is expected to declare the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Annual Conference, which was moved from Benin City to Maiduguri, Borno, on November 28 at the Government House Conference Hall (CGH).
President Buhari’s aide on New Media, Alhaji Bashir Ahmad, had on November 25 confirmed this development on his tweeter handle.
He said: “President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to declare the COAS Annual Conference on November 28, 2018, at the Conference Hall CGH in Maiduguri, Borno state.
“The conference was earlier scheduled to take place from 26 -28 November 2018 in Benin, Edo state."
The shifting of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Annual Conference from Benin City to Maiduguri might not be unconnected with the killing of Nigerian soldiers at Metele, a remote village bordering Nigeria and Chad.
President Buhari would reportedly use the opportunity of the COAS conference to address the Nigerian soldiers at the battlefields to further boost their morale.
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Meanwhile, Oby Ezekwesili, the presidential candidate of Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), has reacted to the killings of Nigerian soldiers in Melete, Borno state, by men suspected to be Boko Haram.
The former minister, in a press statement made on Sunday, November 25, berated the country’s internal security apparatus, wondering why it took the Nigerian Army close to a week before announcing the incident to Nigeria.
Ezekwesili, commiserating with families of the deceased, demanded that the fallen heroes must not be deprived of their honour.
NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng. We have updated to serve you better.
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Source: Legit.ng