SAN FRANCISCO, March 13, (THEWILL) – The Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai, on Monday declared that the Boko Haram insurgency, militancy in the Niger Delta and other criminalities in the country challenged the Nigerian Army’s operational capacity to fulfil its constitutional roles.
Buratai, who spoke while declaring open the First Commanding Officers’ Workshop organised by the Division 2, Nigerian Army, Ibadan, in Maiduguri, observed that the country was faced with security challenges that had impacted negatively on the livelihoods of people.
The Army Chief, who was represented by Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Major General Lucky Irabor, said Boko Haram insurgency posed the gravest threat to the nation’s national security.
His words, “the Boko Haram insurgency, militancy, pipeline vandalism, cattle rustling as well as kidnapping, ethnology-religious crisis, robbery and other forms of criminalities have constituted the gravest danger to national security, while also exposing lapses in the Nigerian Army’s operational capability and capacity.”
Buratai said the five-day workshop was being held at the Operation Lafiya Dole theatre command in Maiduguri because of the unique lessons in active operational area like the North-East, where the military is prosecuting the counter-insurgency/terrorism war.
He enjoined participants (commanding officers) to rededicate themselves and motivate their troops towards what he described as “being professionally responsive on the discharge of their constitutional roles in the nation.”
Earlier in his opening remarks, the General Officer Commanding, GOC, 2 Division, Ibadan, Major-General Chukwudubem Abraham said the theme of the workshop, ‘Empowering unit Commanders in the Nigerian Army to be professionally responsive in containing current security challenge in Nigeria’ was apt in view of the current security challenges facing the country.
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