Chad shuts its borders with Nigeria amid fears terrorists will use uncertainty caused by Trump threat to relocate

NIGERIA'S northeastern neighbour Chad has closed all the borders between the two countries and stepped up military patrols along the frontier to prevent any terrorists of military groups using the current crisis to relocate to its territory.

Like Nigeria, Chad has had to deal with the scourge of Boko Haram and the Islamic State of West Africa Province (Iswap) lately. Both nations and members of the Multinational Joint Task Force alongside  Benin, Cameroon and Niger Republic, set up to tackle Islamic insurgents who operate in the Lake Chad region.

Over the last week, however, tensions have heightened after President Donald Trump said the US was planning to address the ongoing persecution of Christians in Nigeria militarily. He pointed out that he had ordered his defence chiefs to draw up plans to deal with the matter, leading to speculation that a military offensive was imminent.

Although it is inconceivable that US troops would be deployed to Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu is planning to visit Washington soon for talks with President Trump on the matter. In order not to allow the terrorists groups to exploit any vacuum and regroup within its territory while there is all this uncertainty, Chad has decided to close its borders with Nigeria.

Military sources in the Chadian capital N’Djamena, said that President Mahamat Déby ordered a military lockdown of the border after intelligence indicated that terrorist actors from northern Nigeria were planning to cross into Chad. Over the last few days, Chadian troops and armoured vehicles have been deployed to critical routes from Nigeria and all units are now at full readiness.

President Déby has apparently warned that no armed group or foreign force will be allowed to enter Chadian soil under any disguise. Security experts confirmed that Chad’s action is a precautionary step aimed at protecting its borders and preventing infiltration by militants who may seek to exploit the current instability in the region.