This year’s celebration of Christmas in Gwoza area of Borno State is to testify to the success of the Nigerian Army in the fight against the terrorists group, Boko Haram.
This is the declaration of Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai.
Buratai who spoke at the headquarters of Gwoza local government area of Borno State said celebration of Christmas in the area was also a confirmation of the resilience of the troops.
It would be recalled that Gwoza is one of the areas captured by Boko Haram and declared the headquarters of its Caliphate in 2014.
The town was however liberated in 2015 by the Nigerian Army.
Buratai who was represented by the Chief of Administration, Maj.-Gen. Ibrahim Alkali, praised the troops of the 26 Task Force Brigade, whose headquarters is located in Gwoza, for securing the town and its environs.
He called on the troops to maintain the pace of the onslaught against the terrorists to ensure that they were totally sacked.
He implored them to remain loyal to constituted authority.
The celebration of Christmas with the troops is not the first.
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Since 2015 Buratai has chosen to celebrate with troops in the frontline in the North East.
The reason, he had explained, was to boost the morale of the soldiers.
During last year’s Christmas, he celebrated with soldiers at Damasak.
Damasak is in the West of Borno, a border area between Nigeria and Niger Republic.
He also graced the 2017 Eid-el-Kabir festival at Mafa in Borno East while the last independence anniversary was celebrated with troops at the Theater Command, Operation Lafiya Dole, in Maiduguri.
During the celebration in Gwoza, the people of the town trooped out to felicitate with the troops.
There were performances by cultural groups to spice the occasion.
The occasion also featured the rendering of Christmas carol.
The Theatre Commander, Maj.-Gen. Rogers Nicolas, and the Chief of Civil/Military Affairs, Maj.-Gen. Nuhu Angbazo, joined the troops of the 26 Task Force Brigade to sing.
It was a pleasant rendition.
The troops sent a message to terrorists at the occasion firing three shots into the air with some deafening sound.
“There is no cause for alarm, it is a message to Boko Haram and they understand it,” said Maj.-Gen. Mani Yusuf, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 7 Division after the shots.
