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2nd LD Writethru: Nigerian president fires military chiefs, announces replacements: spokesman

Xinhua, July 14, 2015 Adjust font size:

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday fired military chiefs, a move obviously made to re- position the military in fight against Boko Haram, which has proved to be a hard nut to crack in the West African country, a presidential spokesman said.

A statement signed by presidential spokesman Femi Adesina said the Nigerian leader has immediately confirmed the appointments of Abayomi Gabriel Olonishakin, a major general in the Nigerian army and Tukur Yusuf Buratai, also a major general, as the new defense chief and army chief respectively.

Rear Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas was named as the new naval chief, and Air Vice Marshal Sadique Abubakar, the new air force chief respectively, the presidential spokesman said.

Babagana Monguno, a retired major general of the Nigerian army, was named as replacement for Col. Sambo Dasuki who was also fired as the national security adviser.

The presidential statement said all the appointees would work in acting capacity until their appointments were confirmed by the Nigerian Senate.

With their appointments, the new army chiefs will be tasked with the responsibility of routing Boko Haram from the nook and cranny of Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, according to Wale Arigbabuwo, a local security analyst.

Last month, Buratai, Nigeria's new army chief, had assumed office as the commander of the Multinational Joint Task Force (of the Lake Chad Basin Commission member-countries) with headquarters in N'djamena, the capital of Chad.

Boko Haram, a terror group originating from Nigeria, has killed more than 13,000 people since the wake of its violent attacks in 2009 in the African most populous country.

Bomb attacks targeting civilians are one of the terror group's major tactics in causing panic and inflicting pressure on government.

The outgone military chiefs -- Alex Badeh, defense chief; Usman Jibrin, the navy chief; Kenneth Minimah, army chief and Adesola Amosu, air force chief -- were appointed in January 2014 by former Nigerian leader Goodluck Jonathan. Endi