The son of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Lt. Col. Adeboye, who was shot on Monday by Boko Haram insurgents near Michika in Adamawa State has expressed eagerness to return to the battle front. Adeboye, who is recuperating at a government medical facility in Yola, spoke with a former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar and the Director General of the National Orientation Agency, Mike Omeri.
Abubakar visited the injured soldier while Omeri spoke with him on the telephone. A source in the hospital told one of our correspondents that the former vice-president, who recently mended fences with Obasanjo, was glad to find Adeboye in high spirit. The source quoted Abubakar as having told the officer that he was impressed to see him display the type of courage his father (Obasanjo) was known for.
“He even marched before me even as he was recovering from gunshots,” the source quoted the ex-vice president as saying.
Abubakar was said to have wished Adeboye speedy recovery from the injuries he sustained from gunshots in an operation to flush out insurgents from Michika. About 25 soldiers were killed in the battle. Also, Omeri told journalists at a news conference in Abuja that Adeboye was in high spirits when he spoke with him on the telephone on Tuesday.
The NOA boss, who coordinates the National Information Centre, said, “I spoke with the son of Gen. Obasanjo’s son that was involved in the incident of yesterday(Monday). He is in very high spirits and he is assuring Nigerians that what is on his mind now is to get well and go back to defend his fatherland.
“That was what he told me today(Tuesday). And this is the kind of patriotism and the spirit that even those of us who are not on the line of battle should exhibit. We should continuously support members of the armed forces and support them in prayers.”
Omeri also cautioned Nigerians against buying used phones and Subscriber Identity Module cards as they could have been used by insurgents.
He said, “The NIC wishes to call on Nigerians to desist from purchasing used GSM phones and pre-registered SIM cards from unknown sources.
“Such phones and SIM cards might have been used for terrorist and other untoward activities. This caution has become necessary to save members of the public the embarrassment of being apprehended for criminal activities committed with phones and SIM cards found in their possession.
“Accordingly, members of the public are strongly advised to report cases of stolen phones and SIM cards to the police, while refraining from purchasing second-hand phones/SIM cards from unknown sources.”
Omeri also spoke on a recent regional ministerial meeting convened to explore ways of achieving international cooperation in tackling insurgency in the North-East.
The meeting which was held in Abuja on September 3 under the chairmanship of Nigeria was attended by representatives of Cameroun, France, United Kingdom, United States, Canada, China, Benin, Chad, Niger, the European Union, and the Economic Community of West African States.
Omeri said, “The meeting underscored the need to effectively address the sources of funding and supply of weapons to Boko Haram and called for greater international co-operation in tracking all forms of illegal transfer of arms and ammunition.