ABUJA,
Nigeria
Nigeria’s
President Muhammadu Buhari has fired the heads of the country’s armed forces
whom he appointed when he first took office in 2015.
In a surprise move, he also
tweeted the names of their replacements. Maj-Gen Leo Irabor
No reason was given for the
resignations of the army, navy, air force and chief of defence staff heads.
It comes as Nigeria continues to
grapple with widespread insecurity including the long-running Boko Haram
insurgency and rampant kidnappings.
There have been calls, notably
from the country’s powerful governors and the National Assembly, for the
president to replace the service chiefs as many felt they were underperforming.
Mr Buhari, a former army general,
was elected in 2015 on the promise of ending the insurgency in Nigeria’s
north-eastern region.
However, Boko Haram continues to
stage attacks despite the government saying on several occasions that Islamist
militants have been defeated.
Other Islamist militant groups
operating in the region have also become bolder.
Under Mr Buhari’s leadership,
clashes between farmers and cattle herders in the country’s central region have
also worsened and kidnapping gangs in the north-west operate with almost a free
hand
The outgoing military chiefs have
served for about five years – making their tenure the longest since Nigeria
returned to democracy in 1999.
They were initially praised for
how they dealt the militant group Boko Haram and its splinter faction Iswap.
In 2015, the militants controlled vast swathes of territory and there were frequent suicide bombings. This is no longer the case, however the insurgents continue to carry out attacks on both military and civilian targets – mostly ambushes.
The security chiefs have also
faced a lot of criticism for the dramatic rise of criminal gangs who kidnap for
ransom. In December more than 300 boys were taken from a school in the north
before they were later released following negotiations with the abductors.
Nigerians, who see this move as
long overdue, hope the new security chiefs will work to make the country safer,
but analysts say more needs to be done to provide the military with the right
equipment and funding, as well as looking after the welfare of troops, before
any tangible changes will be seen.
Who’s in, who’s out?
Defence staff chief: Gen
Abayomi Olonisakin replaced by Maj-Gen Leo Irabor
Army: Lt-Gen
Tukur Buratai replaced by Maj-Gen I Attahiru
Navy: Vice
Admiral Ibok Ekwe Ibas replaced by Rear Admiral A Z Gambo
Air force: Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar replaced by Air-Vice Marshal I O Amao
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