Defence Minister General Christopher Musa (rtd) has called on troops engaged in Operation Yankai to increase their efforts to end the Boko Haram insurgency. Speaking during an address to military personnel at Mailati Cantonment in Maiduguri yesterday, Musa declared, "I want you to intensify efforts to end this madness called Boko Haram. Am I clear?" The directive was issued as part of ongoing government efforts to accelerate security gains in the Northeast. The minister commended the troops for progress recorded so far but stressed the need for sustained pressure on remaining insurgent cells. Operation Yankai is the current military campaign aimed at eliminating residual threats linked to the decade-long insurgency.
A retired general leading the charge against an insurgency that has outlived active military careers suggests a cycle of repetition, not resolution. Christopher Musa's command to "end this madness" echoes nearly identical statements made by his predecessors since 2010. If the same orders are still being issued 14 years on, the real issue isn't intensity—it's strategy. For Nigerians in the Northeast, this means more of the same: promises without a visible path to lasting peace.
