Abuja--Nigeria's military on Monday said it had begun shifting the command centre for its battle against Boko Haram from the capital to Maiduguri in the northeast, following a directive from President Muhammadu Buhari.
Buhari announced the move in his inaugural speech on May 29, saying the Islamist insurgents would not be defeated until military command and control was transferred to the city at the heart of the uprising.
"A reconnaissance and advance team for the establishment of Military Command and Control Centre (MCCC) for OPERATION ZAMAN LAFIYA for the fight against terrorism and insurgency has moved to Maiduguri," an army statement said.
"Zaman Lafiya" means "peace" in the Hausa language widely spoken in northern Nigeria.
Army spokesman Sani Usman said the advance team was working to set up a fully functioning "forward command base" to coordinate the offensive against the Islamist rebels, who are blamed for more than 15,000 deaths since 2009.
"From now on, the fight against terrorism and insurgency would be monitored, coordinated and controlled from this centre," he added.
Boko Haram was founded in Maiduguri, Borno state's capital, more than a decade ago and the group has carried out scores of attacks there over the last six years.
Addressing the conflict after he was sworn in, Buhari said "victory can not be achieved by basing the Command and Control Centre in Abuja...
"The command centre will be relocated to Maiduguri and remain until Boko Haram is completely subdued."
AFP
