Boko Haram Ceasefire: ”We Are A Bit Excited About It But We Are Taking Everything With A Lot Of Caution,’’- Defence Chief

The Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Ola Ibrahim, said on Tuesday in Abuja that the ceasefire declared by Boko the Haram would be treated with caution.

Ibrahim made this known while speaking with newsmen shortly after the opening of a two-day seminar on “National Security’’ at the Defence College.

According to him, there are certain objective tests that will ensure that the declaration made sense.

“There are certain objective tests we think that will make sense. Let us assume that we can have a long period of about one month where no bomb explodes, where nobody is shot, nobody is beheaded.

“Where no church is bombed and where no mosque is threatened, if they can guarantee one month, then we can begin to talk. So we must take this (ceasefire) with a lot of caution.

“But we hope whatever that must have brought this about, will further enhance our security. So, we are a bit excited about it but we are taking everything with a lot of caution,’’ he said.

The CDS described the seminar, organised by the Alumni Association of the National Defence College (AANDEC), as a gathering of the best brains who were concerned with national security.

He said that the gathering was the intellectual dimension aimed at providing solution to a national problem.

On current development in Mali, Ibrahim expressed satisfaction, adding “things are moving so fast.

“We congratulate the efforts of those who see this (Mali crisis) as a worthy cause to support Africa, especially the Sub-region.

“We congratulate France, United States of America, United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium and the AU.’’

Ibrahim said that the problem in Northern Mali was essentially an ECOWAS affair but that the regional body decided to place it on the international domain.

“We are very excited, especially the Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff about the pace at which things have moved so far,” he said.

He assured that very soon the ECOWAS forces would move to the second and third stages of their mandate which were the consolidation and reform of the Malian forces.