The Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali, has said that the federal government has acquired modern equipment to enhance the combat effectiveness of the armed forces in the fight against Boko Haram.
The minister disclosed this at the State House in Abuja on Wednesday at the opening of a security briefing to afford the service chiefs and the minister the
opportunity to update Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on the security situation in the country.
He said the new equipment would
enable the armed forces to sustain the tempo of the counter insurgency in the North-east.
He listed some of the new equipment as mine-resistance ambush patrol vehicles, 20mm mortars and ammunition, and
patrol boats.
He said the patrol boats had been
ordered by the Nigerian Navy for
outpost at Lake Chad Basin while a contract for helicopters from Russia for the Nigerian Air Force had been awarded and approval for four more Mi 35M aircraft were being awaited.
Also, 20 more unmanned aerial vehicles, better known as drones, from the United Arab Emirates, he said, had been procured by the Nigerian Air Force to support the operations in the North- east.
He conveyed the appreciation of the armed forces to the administration for funding the conduct of military operations.
He said: “This has no doubt impacted positively on the capacity of our armed forces and troops in fighting the Boko Haram terrorists in the North-east and
other security threats across the
country.
“On behalf of the armed forces and other security agencies, we pledge our total commitment and loyalty to the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.”
Dan-Ali said the ongoing operations in the North-east had recorded tremendous success, leading to the restoration of normalcy in most parts of
the affected areas.
He explained that the current strategy involves the simultaneous conduct of
consolidation and stabilisation cases so as to enable civil authorities take the lead role as quickly as possible.
“Our troops, in conjunction with the vigilante groups, successfully conducted clearance operations in villages and Boko Haram camps which led to the recovery of weapons and communications equipment as well as apprehension of many suspects.
“This is being supported by continuous aerial surveillance by the Nigerian Air Force so as to ensure that terrorists do not regroup,” he added.
He also said that several high profile Boko Haram commanders had been arrested and over 20,000 persons, mostly women and children, held hostage by the terrorists were rescued.
The minister further confirmed that a number of the terrorists had surrendered to Nigerian troops, adding: “Currently, the rehabilitation and de- radicalisation process for this category of Boko Haram terrorists and other rescued persons are ongoing.”
He said the armed forces are providing medical support and basic amenities such as food, clothing and water to most internally displaced persons’ (IDP)
camps in the North-east.
He also announced that several inter and intra roads and bridges that were impassable due to the security risks had been reopened and damaged ones reconstructed to enhance the movement of people and goods in the region.
“The Nigerian Army Small Arms
Competition will be conducted by 7 Division at Sambisa Forest to consolidate the gains achieved so far and further sharpen the skills of our troops,” he added.
He also commended the present
administration for showing tremendous concern for the welfare of troops particularly in the North-east through the prompt payment of salaries and
allowances, as well as improvement in medical services.
He said government has continued to intensify international collaboration to
defeat Boko Haram.
“Last week, we had a meeting with Ministers of Defence from the Lake Chad Basin Commission and Benin member countries, hosted by Nigeria. The countries include Niger, Cameroun, Chad and Nigeria.
“A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the Multinational Joint Task Force(MJTF) of the Lake Chad Basin
Commission to fight Boko Haram
terrorists was signed during the
meeting.
“This was aimed at supporting the
operations of the MJTF operation Gama Aiki II, nicknamed Rawan kada in the North-east,” the minister revealed.
With regard to the situation in the
southern part of Kaduna State, the
minister said peace talks were ongoing to address the clashes between herdsmen and farmers in the communities.
According to him, some religious leaders led by a former Head of State, Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar, recently visited Southern Kaduna to mediate between the herdsmen and farmers.
