The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai has condemned the attitude of troops deployed to Geidam in the fight against Boko Haram terrorists group.
He spoke in Lagos during his maiden tour of units and commands under the 81 Division of the army.
Referring to the poor performance of the troops, Buratai emphasised the need for serious review, the attitude of the troops towards the ongoing war.
He noted that despite having the necessary weapons, equipment that will enable them protect themselves, civilians and properties, they did not attack the insurgents.
“Two, three days back, I was in Geidam and the attitude of our troops call for serious review because they have the equipment, weapons, everything they require to protect themselves and indeed citizens that are there, the whole community and villages around.
“But, they just went and sat down without adopting the proper battle procedures. These are the attitudes we have been suffering all these while.
“I have given them very strong warning. And some of you may find yourselves around that area, if you go there, you must behave very professionally.
“You must apply all the battle principles that you have been thought, deploy the weapons and equipment properly,” he said.
While fielding questions from reporters after addressing his soldiers, Buratai said he had to go to Geidam to see things for himself, assuring that the loopholes are being addressed.
“Immediately after my visit, the following day (Friday) they (terrorists) attempted to move into Geidam but the soldiers stood up and conquered that attack. They pursued them and the terrorists have been on the run.
“So, that issue has been addressed and we want to maintain that capability to ensure we repeal and equally pursue them to wherever they go to.
Buratai also warned army personnel to remain apolitical, stressing that their moves were being monitored and anyone found romancing politicians will be dealt with accordingly.
He said: “I want you to remain professional, apolitical. Any officer or soldier seen hibernating with politicians or getting involved in politics of whatever nature will not be tolerated. If he is caught, he will be dealt with accordingly.”
The army chief also insisted that the December deadline given by President Muhammadu Buhari for the military to end Boko Haram was achievable.
“Fighting I s urgency require alot of resources, initiative. The renewed commitment of the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, increased equipments that we have been providing to the troops; increased troops with the deployment Special forces in key and critical areas have contributed in motivating the troops.
“We are addressing their welfare needs as at when due, so all these contributed and it is changing the tide against the terrorists. We will definitely meet the target,” said Buratai.
According to him, priority was given to the various operations the army is involved in with the northeast and Niger Delta areas coming first and second respectively.
Tag: Army
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Boko Haram: army chief decries troops’ attitude
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Boko Haram insurgents in Jos – Troops
Residents of Jos, the Plateau state capital have been alerted by the federal troops known as Operation Safe Haven (OPSH) of the presence of Boko Haram in the city.
The federal troops reported that the insurgents may be planning to detonate bombs through suicide bombers or car bomb at crowded places like markets, relaxation centers, motor parks and schools.
There have been several cases of multiple bomb explosions in the city in recent past which led to the deaths of hundreds of residents including car bombs, suicide bombing and throwing of grenades.
The last of such attacks was during the last Ramadan fast which killed many worshippers listening to sermon at Dilimi Mosque Jos.
In a statement released in Jos on Sunday by the spokesman of the OPSH, Captain Ikedichi Iweha, the federal troop has called on citizens of the state to be security conscious and tighten security around public places.
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The other side of the Army
In Imo and Enugu states, soldiers are proving that they can diagnose and treat ailments with as much ease as they can take down the enemy. OKODILI NDIDI, ROSEMARY OGBODO and CHERECHUKWU OKOYE report
Do they not only lift their weapons, take aim and fire? That was why the ailing residents were just as curious as they were anxious to be well again when fully kitted army personnel showed up in their communities clutching stethoscopes and medicaments rather than guns.
That was the atmosphere in Mgbirichi community in Owerri West Council Area of Imo State, and also in Iji-Nike in Enugu East Local Government Area of Enugu State.
Are soldiers also doctors, and if they are, do they treat civilians?
Their curiosity was resolved as soon as the trained combatants started asking them questions that doctors usually ask, taking their blood pressures and checking for signs of malaria among other things.
Residents of Mgbichiri and Iji-Nike indeed felt the humanitarian side of the Nigerian Army when the ailing ones among them were given free medical treatment during a medical outreach organised by the 34 Brigade Obinze as part of activities to mark Nigeria’s 55 independence anniversary.
The impression that soldiers are only for battle fields was corrected as the sick were professionally and tenderly taken care of by the military doctors to the amazement of the people who had thought it impossible to have a close relationship with the soldiers.
At the end of the two-day exercise, over 500 villagers were treated for various ailments including dental and optical infections, high blood pressure and diabetes while other diseases were diagnosed.
The Brigade Commander, Brigadier General K.A.Y. Isiyaku, said it is necessary to reach out to the locals through quick-impact projects like the medical outreach to foster a cordial relationship with communities.
He said that the medical outreach was part of the social responsibility of the Brigade as a corporate body, adding that it was designed to correct the impression that the Army is hostile.
The Commander said, “We all know the security challenge the country is going through, so we need the support and cooperation of the populace. If you stay close to the people, they will stay close to you.
“We decided to take the medical outreach to our host community to show them that we also care about their health and that we are all one. They always see the military as hostile but it should not be so. We will continue to strive to live up to our social responsibilities to our hosts. We can also undertake other quick impact projects like cleaning the gutters, providing boreholes, among others”.
He however urged the people to be law abiding and live peacefully with each other, adding that, “the Army like the Police is your friend when you are law abiding. People should not engage in any form of criminality that will put them on collision course with the law, because if you are caught the law will certainly take its course”.
Meanwhile beneficiaries of the medical outreach have described it as unprecedented, especially as coming from their armed neighbours, who they had thought were only trained for warfare.
Grace Amaizuzu, 67, said she has been suffering from arthritis in the last three years, but was relieved after she was diagnosed and treated by the soldiers.
She said, “I thank God for the soldiers. I never knew they were this kind and their medicine is more original than the ones we buy from the chemist shops. In my own case I have been suffering from very painful arthritis for some time now I can hardly walk on my own but today I am relieved”.
Another beneficiary, Johnson Uzoma, who was treated of eye infection, commended the soldiers for the gesture, “before I can hardly see clearly with my right eyes and I had no money to go to the hospital. So when I heard about the medical outreach I rushed down to the venue and I was attended to free of charge and given enough drugs that will last me for a long time.”
•Military doctors attending to patients At Iji-Nike, the military outreach was tagged “Know Your Blood Pressure: Avoid Silent Killer”, military medical personnel from the 82 Division hospital tested for HIV, sugar and blood levels and malaria, among others. They also diagnosed and prescribed drugs to patients suffering various ailments.
The turnout at the Holy Cross Primary School Iji-Nike was impressive as ailing residents surged forward to be treated.
The GOC 82 Division, Brig. General Ibrahim Attahiru supervised the outreach, ensuring that it succeeded. Other top officers of the Division accompanied him.
Also with the GOC at the venue was the traditional ruler of Nike, Igwe Julius Nnaji who had earlier received the GOC and his entourage in his palace.
Both Attahiru and Igwe Nnaji also submitted themselves for the checkup.
The GOC later told reporters that the health outreach was part of the army civil work to keep in touch with their host communities.
He said such community outreach programmes include construction of roads and bridges and provision of other necessary services deemed important to the common man.
He explained that the main idea behind the medical outreach was to “enlighten people about lifestyle diseases such as high blood pressure, HIV, malaria etc.”
Attahiru enjoined residents of the area to avail themselves of the opportunity and come out to be tested and treated of their various ailments.
Igwe Nnaji on his own expressed gratitude to the 82 division for the gesture and prayed for God’s protection for men and officers of the Division.
He said: “I can tell you that this is not the first time the army is giving to my subjects these
free medical services. I cannot say much but all I can say is that God will continue to protect them in all their endeavours.”
At the outreach were dentists, doctors, nurses and a team from the ministry of defence.
A member of the community, Onuh Nnaemeka expressed delight in the exercise, saying: “This is one of the ways we benefit from the army as Nigerians. I am saying a very big thanks to the Nigerian Army and 82 Division in particular for remembering us always”.
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Army provides free medical service to 300 Bakassi IDPs
No fewer than 300 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Bakassi local government area of Cross River last Friday benefited from the free medical outreach of the 13 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Calabar.
Brig.-Gen. Sani Mohammed, Commander of the Brigade, said the humanitarian medical outreach was part of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai’s vision on civil-military relations.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the IDPs are camping at Ikot Effiong/Obutong primary school in Bakassi local government area of the state.
Mohammed said the Army decided to reach out to the IDPs because they needed adequate medical service to keep them in good health.
“We are here today to offer free medical treatment to the IDPs. When you look around and see where they are camping, you will believe that they really need adequate medical care.
“We are here with our full medical team that will carry out different test on the IDPs and also administer them with drugs.
“Earlier today, we also carried out a similar medical outreach in the barracks where the children/wards of soldiers and friends of the Army were equally tested and administered with drugs,’’ he said.
The commander advised the IDPs to have a positive outlook towards life, adding that the Army would always remember them in their activities.
NAN reports that the IDPs were tested for malaria, blood pressure, hepatitis, typhoid and fever, among others, while drugs were equally administered to them.
Speaking, the Coordinator of the camp, Mr Aston Inyang, thanked the Army for their humanitarian medical outreach.
Inyang said that they were brought to the camp on Oct. 4, 2009, after the ceding of the oil rich Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon on Aug. 14, 2008.
According to him, the camp has been neglected by the government and appealed to the state and federal governments to come to their aid.
“Our greatest challenge here is that we lack adequate medical care and the young ladies who are pregnant always feel it more.
“We have not been given fair attention as it concerns health. Our camp is so large that we are supposed to have our own separate health care centre built by the government.
“From 2009 to now, we have lost over 40 persons which include women, men and children and a lot are still under medical challenges because they have no money to access medical treatment,’’ he said.
One of the beneficiaries, Mrs Eno Samson, who thanked the Army for their medical assistant, appealed to other corporate bodies and philanthropists, to also assist them in the areas of food, security and shelter.
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Beware of Boko Haram packaged bombs, DHQ warns
Members of the public should beware of the Boko Haram sect’s newly-devised lethal combination of packaged bombs, the Defence Headquarters has warned.
Referring to some of such cluster bombs being recovered in Adamawa state by Nigerian Army Engineers, the Defence Headquarters stated that some of such items packaged in pots or metal containers are aimed towards simultaneously wreaking havoc on many targets, such as columns of vehicles, marketplaces, places of worship or large concentration of troops.
In a statement issued by the DHQ’s spokesman, Colonel Rabe Abubakar on Thursday, he emphasized the deceptive nature of the deadly bombs and urged citizens to report discovery of any such objects instead of going near it.
“The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) wishes to inform Nigerians living in the North-East and any other parts of the country to keep a lookout for cluster bombs sometimes called ‘scatter bombs’ as the Nigerian Army Engineers serving in Adamawa State have recovered some caches of these bombs in the contested areas in recent time.
“The military high command has discovered that the Boko Haram Terrorists (BHT) in the areas have used such lethal instruments over time to push their callous terrorist cause.
“For easy identification, it is important to note that cluster bombs are bombs that house sub munitions, that is, smaller explosives contained in individual cases.
“These bombs are used against large areas containing many targets, such as columns of vehicles, marketplaces, places of worship or large troop concentration as the case may be.
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Giedam attack: Buratai warns against take over by terrorist
The Chief of Army State Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buaratai has warned troops at Geidam in Yobe State not to allow terrorists to invade the town again.
The Army Chief who was in Giedam for operational visit to assess the damage of the attack by the Boko Haram terrorists Thursday night in the town also assured the residents of their protection from any form of attack by the insurgents.
A statement issued by the Acting Director of Army Public Relation Col. Sani Kukasheka Usman also confirmed that death of three soldiers in the fight and the destruction of some military equipment by the insurgents.
The statement reads in parts; “The Nigerian Army wishes to confirm an attack on Sector 1 of 27 Task Force Brigade located at Gaidam, Yobe State, yesterday Wednesday evening. The attack was successfully repelled by the troops and the reinforcement sent. The troops killed most of the attacking terrorists and destroying their weapons and equipment. However and regretfully too, we lost three soldiers and some equipment during the encounter.
“The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Tukur Yusufu Buratai who was on operational visit to North East, personally visited the troops location, assessed the damage done. He warned the officers of the unit that such ugly incident should not be allowed to happen again”.
While giving the assurances of the COAS of the protection of the people by the military from the Boko Haram terrorists, the statement added ; “The COAS also drove into the town and further assessed damage by the terrorists and gave further directives to the troops for the defence and improved security of the general area. He also met with some of the community leaders and Idris Aloma Polytechnic staff where he assured them of their safety and improved security”.
According to the statement Geidam is now calm and people are going about their normal businesses.
The Chief of Army Staff was received at Geidam by the General Officer Commanding 3 Division, Major General Hassan Umaru and Acting Commander 27 Task Force Brigade who led the reinforcement team last night.
The COAS was accompanied on the visit by the Theatre Commander Operation Lafiya Dole, Major General Yushau Abubakar, the Chief of Training and Operations (Army), Major General Fatai Alli, as well as Acting Director of Military Intelligence, Acting Provost Marshall and Director of Campaign Planning, and the Acting Director Army Public Relations and the Liaison Officer of the Multinational Joint Taskforce.
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Troops kill 100 insurgents in Yobe
The Nigerian Army said on Wednesday that troops of the Army 120 Task Force Battalion in Yobe, have killed more than 100 fleeing terrorists at Goniri area of the state.
The Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman, confirmed the incident in a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja.
The statement said seven soldiers died, while nine others were wounded when the terrorists attempted to invade the military base at Goniri, early on Wednesday.
“The fleeing Boko Haram terrorists in a desperation to create an impression that they remain relevant, early today made a futile attempt on 120 Task Force Battalion troops at Goniri, Yobe State.
“During the encounter, our gallant troops successfully repelled the attack and inflicted heavy casualty on the invaders, as all of them were killed.
“More than 100 terrorists died but unfortunately however, seven of our gallant soldiers paid the supreme price while defending our father land, one officer and eight soldiers were also wounded,” the News Agency of Nigeria quoted the army spokesman as saying in the statement.
According to the statement, the troops recovered arms, ammunitions and other equipment from the terrorists.
The arms and ammunition recovered include, one general purpose machine gun; two rocket propelled grenades, nine AK-47 rifles and belted rounds of 7.62 (NATO) ammunitions.
It said that various wires used for Improvised Explosive Devices, 7 Primed IEDs, different types of spanners and a torch light were also recovered.
It said the troops had consolidated on the encounter and would continue blocking any fleeing terrorist using the Nigerian Air Force aerial bombardment and other troops’ artillery fire.
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Renounce Boko Haram sect membership, Army warns
The Nigerian Army has launched an appeal urging parents and family members to help convince members of the Boko Haram sect to renounce membership of the sect.
In a statement issued on Tuesday evening, Army spokesman, Colonel Sani Usman warned that now that the Army has identified all the hideouts being used by members of the sect, they only have the option of surrendering or facing the consequences of their activities.
“This is to warn all Boko Haram terrorists wherever they are, to desist from all acts of terrorism, surrender themselves and face the law now.
“We wish to inform them that we are aware of all their hideouts, camps and enclaves; they should follow their colleagues who have so far surrendered.
“Failure to surrender will result in serious consequences as our troops are fast closing up with them,“ Colonel Usman stated.
He further emphasized the need for citizens who have family or other personal ties to individual members of the Boko Haram sect to persuade such persons towards having a change of heart.
“We equally appeal to the parents, families and friends of all those involved in Boko Haram terrorists activities to kindly persuade them to desist and renounce their membership of the terrorist organization forthwith.
“We also wish to appeal to the good people of the North Eastern part of the country, in particular those of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States to prevail on these terrorists to renounce their evil ways immediately,” he added.
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Army denies attack on Maiduguri
•Urges calm
The military in Maiduguri yesterday denied that the town was attacked.
Residents reported explosions in some parts of the town. The situation caused panic.
But spokesman for the 7 Division, Maiduguri Col. Tukur Gusau told our correspondent on the phone that the Army was testing its equipment. He urged residents to remain calm.
Said he: “There is no attack in any part of Maiduguri as I speak with you today (Sunday). The sound the people are hearing is from our men. It is a routine check of our equipment and hardware. We are testing our equipment as part of measures to ensure that they are in good condition so as to be ready for any eventuality.
“We appeal to Maiduguri residents not to panic. They should remain calm. The town is not under attack. The military is fully in control.
“We advise residents to report suspicious movements of persons.”
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Army denies attack on Maiduguri, calls for calm
The military authorities in Maiduguri have denied that Maiduguri the Bornu State capital was under attack on Sunday.
Residents of Maiduguri had reported heavy sound of explosions from some parts of the town on Sunday with the situation causing serious panic in the metropolis which has recently come under suicide attacks by some suspected members of the Boko Haram insurgents.
But the Spokesman of the 7 Division Nigerian Army Maiduguri Col. Tukur Gusau told our correspondent on phone in Maiduguri that the army was just test-running their equipment and called on the people not to panic.
“There is no attack in any part of Maiduguri as I speak with you today (Sunday). The sound the people are hearing is from our men. It is a routine check of our equipment and hardware. We are testing our equipment as part of measures to ensure that they are in good shape so as to be alert and ready for any eventuality.
“We are however appealing to residents of Maiduguri not to panic but to remain calm. Maiduguri is not under attack. The military is fully in control.
“We are calling on the good people to always report any suspicious moment of persons around your neighborhood so as to separate the good people from these terrorists,” Col. Gusau said.
