NIGERIA-DEFENCE Nigeria's president purges defence top brass to take on Boko Haram

Record ID: 147358

  • Title: NIGERIA-DEFENCE Nigeria's president purges defence top brass to take on Boko Haram
  • Date: 13th July 2015
  • Summary: ABUJA, NIGERIA (JULY 13, 2015) (REUTERS) ****WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** VARIOUS OF NEWLY APPOINTED SERVICE CHIEFS AND NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER WALKING OUT OF THE PRESIDENT'S MEETING ROOM? ABUJA, NIGERIA (JU?LY 8, 2015?) (REUTERS) FORMER CHIEF OF DEFENCE STAFF, AIR MARSHALL ALEX BADEH (LEFT) SEATED WITH CHIEFS OF ARMY, MAJOR-GENERAL KENNETH MINIMAH AND NAVAL ST
  • Embargoed: 28th July 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Nigeria
  • Country: Nigeria
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVAE59QQZ8LKR2TSAZSUILA1YFM
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari sacked his army, navy, air force and defence chiefs on Monday (July 13) in a widely expected move to boost the fight against Boko Haram militants who have killed hundreds of people in the past few weeks.
    Buhari, a former general, swiftly replaced all four men and named a new national security adviser in the latest of a series of moves to end the six-year-old jihadist insurgency.
    Major-General Abayomi Gabriel Olonishakin, previously head of army training, was named Chief of Defence Staff. The new Chief of Army Staff, T.Y. Buratai, comes from Borno state, one of those worst hit by Boko Haram attacks, and was previously in charge of a multinational joint task force against the insurgents.
    Since his inauguration in May, Buhari has moved Nigeria's defence command centre to Maiduguri, the birthplace of the jihadi sect, and is setting up the headquarters of the multinational force in Chad's capital N'Djamena.
    In June, Amnesty International accused Nigeria's military of systemic human rights abuses and the deaths of 8,000 prisoners and called for an investigation into many top military officials including the army and air force chiefs.
    Former President Goodluck Jonathan was heavily criticised for his inability to crush Boko Haram and rescue some 200 schoolgirls abducted by the group in April 2014.
    The militants, operating mainly in the northeast of Africa's biggest oil producer, have killed thousands of people and displaced around 1.5 million.
    Army morale hit an all time low under Jonathan and it was not until the start of 2015 that the militants were finally pushed out of most areas with the help of foreign mercenaries, troops from neighbouring countries and new equipment.
    But Nigerians saw Jonathan's victories as too little, too late.
    Buhari also named a new chief of defence intelligence, Air Vice Marshal Riku Morgan, and a national security adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno.
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