Boko Haram terrorists are cowards, says Army Chief
BY KINGSLEY OMONOBI – ABUJA
ABUJA—The Chief of Army Staff, has described Boko Haram members as cowards and challenged them to “come out and operate in the open”.
Describes them as traitors
Describing them as ‘traitors’, General Ihejirika who was briefing the media as part of activities to mark this year’s Nigeria Army Day Celebration, NADCEL, holding in Uyo, said, “The fact that they have succeeded in throwing one or two bombs does not make them invincible. They capitalize on the general complacency in the security of the country”.
Slams Boko Haram supporters
Taking a swipe at some unpatriotic Nigerians for supporting the activities of Boko Haram and some security agencies whose laxity in the performance of their duties has enabled the menace to thrive, the Army Chief said, “Several unpatriotic Nigerians are aiding and abetting Boko Haram. That is why they thrive. Their aim is to intimidate people into exposing them. That is why they operate the way they do”.
“No one should be intimidated to give information on Boko Haram. If they are not cowards, why don’t they operate in the open? There is nothing they have done that is new. It has been happening abroad. We just have to awaken our security consciousness. If people are loitering around for no just cause, people living in that particular area should ask questions. If Imams or good Muslims hear a sheik or Imam preaching messages that are inciting, these sheiks should be stopped or reported to appropriate authorities”.
On the need for dialogue
Reminded that some school of thought was pushing for dialogue or negotiation with Boko Haram, Ihejirika said, “The activities of the group is benefitting from the effect of proliferation of arms and ammunition from our borders. It seems they are also being mobilized to get into these atrocities. Whether you grant them amnesty or not, our concern is that people are being killed and people are committing crime for no just cause”.
Porous border
“Also, Nigerians are too accommodating. Our borders are porous. We are now talking of smuggling of arms and bombs. This means the Customs have to change their ways of doing things. Our borders should not be left porous. Any stranger that enters the country has to be properly documented and such stranger or foreigner has to be law abiding and obey the laws as long as he remains in the country
Expatiating more on Boko Haram, General Ihejirika said, “Our involvement in tackling Boko Haram does not mean we are taking over the lead security role because internal security operation everywhere, is civil led operation. It is not an outright military operation”.
“The operation of Boko Haram is new to us in the sense that the terrorists live with the people. They live among the people. Some times they may not keep the weapons in their houses. It is possible they have hideouts where they keep there weapons. This is the nature of these traitors.
So to say the Army could play leading role in apprehending them could be misleading. About 90 per cent of the work needed to wipe them out is intelligence gathering and these we need to do with assistance of the populace. The involvement of the military is as a result of the sophistication of the weaponry they have”.
Spate of kiddnapping
Speaking on the menace of kidnapping which seems to be rearing its ugly head again, the Army Chief said, “Kidnapping of today is different from what we used to have like the organized gangs that had camps, which we successfully cleared out in the South East and South-South. Even last week, we made arrests of some gangs”.
“This time around, because of the fact that it happens haphazardly, it will take a little while to deal with the issue because it is a continuous thing. But I want to assure everyone that we are on top of this situation of kidnapping. It cannot be a top national issue any more”.
On army’s preparadness
On the army’s operational preparedness, and if increased involvement in internal security operations was not weighing down on its peacekeeping or safeguarding the territorial integrity against external aggression roles, he said, “Yes we are prepared professionally any time we are called upon. That is why you see us always training and retraining because effective and sustainable training is the bedrock of any army.
“For Internal security operations, our force now has changed because the challenges are more and you don’t go to foreign countries to help them solve their internal security crises through peacekeeping when your own house is burning. So peace support operations outside does not have priority over our own internal security operations. As for friction or high handedness in internal operations, it is a Nigerian factor but our training modules are taking care of these observations”.
On troops accommodation
“In the area of troop’s accommodation, good health care delivery and administration, he said “I am committed to ensuring the completion of the state of the art hospital at the 44 Nigerian Army reference hospitals, Kaduna . So far it has consumed not less that N4billion. But due to paucity of funds, we have decided to continue the project in phases. We will focus on the completion of the radiology department and the water supply network”.
Plans new special units
General Ihejirika further disclosed that some new special units are to be established for the Army in view of contemporary challenges facing the country noting that “officers will soon proceed abroad for training while some other will be trained locally. We are also reviving some other units like the Military police Dog unit which will come on stream soon because of their effectiveness in certain areas of investigation”.
