The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Faruk Yahaya, said one of their success secrets in the North-East, was the acquisition and deployment of armoured tanks and other military hardware and the synergy with other military arms and security agencies changed the tide of war in the North-east.
So far, 26,000 fighters of Boko Haram and the Islamic State for West African Province (ISWAP) and their families, have laid down their arms and surrendered to troops.
He said the situation had earned Nigerian military global acclaim, going by Nigeria’s ranking in the latest global terrorism index. The ranking by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) indicated that Nigeria as well as Syria, and Somalia were the only nations, among the 10 most affected by terrorism to get an improved score.
According to the report, Nigeria dropped two places from fourth, a position it occupied since 2017.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Chief of Army Staff First Quarter Conference held at the Command Officers Mess, Asokoro, Abuja, Yahaya said the deployment of several platforms in the theatre of war enhanced the performance of troops.
“Within the last one year, the Nigerian Army had embarked on a number of infrastructural development projects, undertook further force restructuring, as well as optimised logistical support amongst others.
“The procurement and deployment of several platforms, particularly armoured fighting vehicles and artillery pieces into the theatres of operations have immensely enhanced our performance,” he said.
“The professional employment of these hardwares coupled with astute leadership provided by field commanders have led to the successes recorded so far.
“We will forever remain grateful to the Commander-in-Chief, President Muhammadu Buhari, for making the much-needed provisions and for his strategic guidance, his continuous support and confidence reposed in us,” he said, while noting the support of others.
“We equally appreciate all others at all levels, who support and continue to contribute to our efforts at enhancing the operational effectiveness of the Nigerian Army. We shall continue to forge ahead with even greater vigour, commitment and determination and would not let you down,” he said. Lt. Gen. Yahaya noted that on assumption of office, he trained his sights on personnel development.
“My focus was directed towards improved personnel development in order to re-invigorate and rejuvenate the troops towards achieving the constitutional mandate of the Nigerian Army.
“This has been largely achieved with the increasing reequipping of the Nigerian Army which has made the force better poised to tackle the myriad of contemporary and emerging security threats,” he said.
“The increased deployments of Nigerian Army troops in various theatres of operations across the country as well as creation of new units and forward operating bases have provided the much-needed impetus in our operations with several successes recorded.
“Our modest successes against the terrorists in the Northeast are being recognised and applauded in the global terrorism index. Our untiring efforts and gains against armed bandits and other violent criminals in the North-west and North-central, secessionists in the South-east and other criminals in other geo-political zones are also gaining success,” he said.
He maintained that the successes were achieved through increased synergy with our sister services, other security agencies and stakeholders.
Earlier in his remarks, the Army Chief of Policy and Plans (CPP), Maj. Gen. A.B. Omozoje, said the conference would review operations and general performance while urging participants to feel free to make meaningful contributions.
The COAS conference will end on March 18.
