HUNDREDS of Nigerians are reportedly fleeing Gajiganna, Borno State, following Chad’s withdrawal of its 1200-strong troops from the border with Nigeria.
The troops had been assisting Nigerian soldiers in keeping Boko Haram insurgents at bayin the Northeast. Chad said its action followed the conclusion of the soldiers’ assignment in the area.
President Muhammadu Buhari recently announced that government would soon embark on a gradual withdrawal of the military from areas where peace has been restored. He said it would not be done in a manner that would expose communities to more risks of attacks.
The president said the withdrawal would be gradual and carefully planned, not abrupt or arbitrary to jeopardize the success already recorded by the military.
Reacting to concerns and appeals from governors and community leaders over the proposed withdrawal, President Buhari said the “administration will not abandon citizens in need of protection.
Chad’s general chief of staff General Tahir Erda Tahiro said that if countries in the region which have contributed to a multinational anti-jihadist force were in agreement, more troops would likely be sent in amid local people’s fears of a security vacuum.
The Chad troops, brought out in pick-up trucks and tank transporters, crossed the bridge back to their home capital of N’djamena via the Cameroon border town of Kousseri.
But reports from Gajiganna yesterday indicated that residents had become agitated with many fleeing to Maiduguri for fear of further attacks. The Chadian soldiers had a garrison there as well as at nearby Monguno, close to Lake Chad itself.
