President Muhammadu Buhari has formally received the Boko Haram flag of Boko Haram recovered from Sambisa forest “camp zero” by men of the Nigeria Army last week.
Theatre commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Major General Lucky Irabor handed over the flag to the president at the 2016 regimental dinner organised by the presidential brigade of guards in Abuja.
At the flag presentation which took place at exactly 10.30pm, Irabor said ?about 1,240 suspected Boko Haram members were arrested during a mop-up operation inside Sambisa.
In his response, Buhari recounted how he was nearly killed even before he collected his first salary in the army – and that he enjoyed his 25 years service before he was retired.
“I believe you are here because you want to be here and you cannot complain. We will do our best to build the national institutions in the country,” he said.
“There are 250 ethnic groups, so keeping Nigeria one is a task that must be done. So even for personal reason you must make sure this country stays one and remain strong.”
Tukur Buratai, lieutenant general and chief of army staff, assured Nigerians that they will continue their onslaught in the north-east.
