The Nigerian military on Tuesday confirmed the take-over of Baga in Borno State by members of the Boko Haram Terrorist group.

After an emergency security meeting today in Abuja, the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshall Alex Badeh, told reporters that Niger and Chad had withdrawn their troops from Baga, a situation that apparently led to the takeover of the town that had been in contention.

The meeting was held to assess the security situation in the country especially in the north-east.

The Air Chief, however, said that the countries had not pulled out of the multinational Joint Task Force contingent fighting the terrorist group in the North-East.

He assured Nigerians that the military would overcome the insurgents at all cost.

“I wish it could be closed. But how do you close such a large border? And it is not for military to close border anyway,” he said, emphasising that more collaboration with the security agencies of the border nations should be explored rather than border closure.

Also addressing reporters after the security meeting, the Borno State Governor, Kashim Shetima, said that the 2015 general elections must hold in the north eastern part of Nigeria despite the security threats on the people.

He said that elections have taken place in countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and so many other places where there is terrorism but that the important issue is how to safeguard the lives and property of the people of those areas and recover the lost territories and the abducted Chibok girls.

He cried out that several territories like Bama, were now under the territory of the Boko Haram but that with a robust plan by the military the war against insurgency would be worn.

At the risk of giving publicity to the Boko Haram leader, Shekau, who he described as a lunatic, the Borno State Governor said that the military has been rising to the challenges.

The terrorist group had in April abducted some over 200 schoolgirls from a Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State.

They are still in the custody of the Boko haram sect, but Governor Shetima stressed that no matter what the odds were the Chibok girls would be returned.

He had last year decried the poor motivation of the Nigerian military in the fight against Boko Haram, insisting that the military lacked what was required to fight the Boko Haram sect.

Also addressing reporters, Governor Ibrahim Geidam of Yobe State, which is another state in the eye of the storm, called for deployment of more troops.

The meeting, which had the participants brainstorm for over two hours, was said to be a fruitful one, with a rich cross-pollination of ideas many Nigerians hope will indeed bring a lasting solution to insurgency bedevilling the nation.

Those also in attendance at the meeting were the Attorney-General of the Federation, as well as governors of Adamawa, Yobe and Kaduna states.

•Excerpted from a Channels TV report. Photo shows Boko Haram fighters.

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