The Minister of Defence, Maj Gen Bashir Magashi (retd.) has noted that the rescue mission of over 300 Kankara School Boys by the military was a yuletide gift to Nigerians. The defence minister who was bidding Nigerians season greetings on behalf of the Nigerian Military in his Christmas and New Year message called on all and sundry to pray for troops who are constantly battling rising insurgency in the North, and won’t be able to celebrate with their families.
Magashi made this known in a statement released by his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mohammad Abdulkadri.
According to the defence minister, “There is the need for peaceful co-existence, unity and peace especially as the country is fighting insurgency, banditry and kidnapping among other criminal tendencies.
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“The season is the reason to turn to God in fervent prayer to crown the sacrifices of our fighting forces to attain maximum victory over the adversaries.
“…the least Nigerians can show to the nation’s soldiers who are fighting patriotically so that the citizens can sleep with their eyes closed, even when they themselves can’t afford to sleep, is to pray for them and be security conscious at this auspicious time.
Magashi further thanked the leadership of the services, heads of security agencies, their civilian counterparts and other stakeholders for the rescue and return of the kidnapped students.
Nelson O.