Nigeria’s military has dismissed concerns that the death of the President of Chad, Idriss Deby, may escalate the insurgency war in the northeast region of the country.
Some security experts agreed with the president on Wednesday that the death of the Chadian president and the unsavoury developments in the country might tilt the war against terror in the North-east against Nigeria.
But the spokesman of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), Air Commodore Gabriel Gabkwet, downplayed these fears on Wednesday, telling newsmen that the Nigerian Armed Forces are prepared for any eventuality.
“I don’t think there’s any cause for concern. Already, we have seen a smooth transition to the son of the former president and I think there is calm in the country,” he said, adding: “Agreed, he had a very strong influence on troops in the fight against terrorism. We have seen that there is a smooth transition which also means there is continuity.”
Gabkwet was emphatic that the death of Deby would not have any adverse effect on the war against insurgency.
He explained: “Whether his death will have an effect across the Chadian border into Nigeria, I will tell you it is an emphatic ‘No’. We have a Multinational Joint Task Force.
“So far, the task force is working effectively even before he died.
“We have a joint task force under the chief of defence staff. With officers, weapons and men, the air force is fully involved in that operation; so, I don’t see anything happening.
Deby, who was re-elected for the sixth term recently, died on Tuesday, a day after he was declared winner of the April 11 election, from injuries sustained while fighting rebels.
President Muhammadu Buhari had in a condolence message described the late Chadian leader as “a friend of Nigeria who had enthusiastically lent his hand in our efforts to defeat the murderous Boko Haram terrorists that have posed grave security challenges not only for Nigeria but also our African neighbours, particularly Chad, Cameroon and Niger Republic.”
Buhari had also added that “the death of Deby will surely create a big vacuum in the efforts to jointly confront the Boko Haram terrorists and the Islamic State West Africa Province.”
