The chief of army staff, Tukur Buratai, has warned those fighting for an independent state of Biafra to “forget it” as it will never happen in his lifetime and beyond.
The Independent People of Biafra (IPOB) and the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) are at the forefront of the struggle.
Speaking in Abuja after receiving an award conferred on him by a coalition of over 80 civil society organisations (CSOs), Buratai said the army would not condone any act that could lead to the disintegration of the country.
He also promised that insurgency would soon be a thing of the past.
“Those individuals and groups that are bent on destablising our country I think they have to wait till may be the next three or four millennium for them to do that. That is, may be the next generation of officers and men will allow them at all,” he said.
“Having been given the millennium hero award, I want to call on all the agitators for separation and other acts of destabilisation, they better forget it, not in this era, not in this millennium.
“I want to say that we would continue to do our best to maintain security atmosphere that is needed as provided for in the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria. We have been tasked to defend our country.
“We have taken a number of measures to ensure that the remnants of the Boko Haram terrorists who are on the run are finally cleared, many have surrendered, many of them have been captured.”
On his part, Olabode Adeyemi, executive director, African Media Roundtable Initiative, said onslaught led by Buratai against the insurgents has “changed the tide of war.”