The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Lt. Gen. Tukur Burutai

  • Army in final push against Boko Haram

    The Nigerian Army says on Tuesday it has lunched a new operation to totally flush out remnants of Boko Haram insurgents in the Lake Chad region.
    Lt. Gen. Tukur Burutai, disclosed at a press conference in Maiduguri that Operation Last Hold began on May 1, and has a target of August 31, to accomplish it’s mission.
    Represented by Maj.- Gen. Abba Dikko, the Commander of Operation LAST HOLD explained  that it was intended to facilitate the clearance of the Lake Chad waterways of sea weeds and other obstacles obstructing the movement of boats and people across the water channels.
    “It will also ensure the destruction of Boko Haram Terrorist camps and strong points in the Lake Chad Basin general area. The operation will also facilitate the rescue of hostages,”he said.
    Buratai said that the Army was determined to consolidate on its recent gains in the ongoing push especially in the Northern most part of Borno.
     “Operation LAST HOLD is expected to last for 4 months and it will entail deployment of additional manoeuvre brigades and other critical assets in Borno State.
    “The end-state of Operation LAST HOLD is the total defeat of the Boko Haram Terrorist Sect in northern Borno. This will pave way for the return of local administration and people to their responsibilities and communities.”
    According to him, “The operation will facilitate the restoration of fishing, farming and other economic activities in the Lake Chad Basin.
    “Additionally, it will facilitate the relocation of Internally Displaced Persons from IDP camps back to their communities,”said Burutai.
  • Buratai decries proliferation of unregistered SIM cards

    Buratai decries proliferation of unregistered SIM cards

    The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, on Monday in Abuja frowned at the use of unregistered SIM cards in the country in spite of subsisting government ban.

    Burutai said the development was a major setback in the use of digital and mobile forensics by the Nigeria military in the fight against terrorism, kidnapping and other national threats.

    The army chief spoke at the opening of the 6th International Digital, Mobile and Computer Forensics Conference and Training Expo organised by the Computer Forensics Institute of Nigeria (CFIN).

    In a paper entitled, “Digital, Mobile and Computer Forensics as a Tool in Fighting Terrorism and Internal Threats’’, he said military investigators were able to get unregistered SIM cards from vendors last week without difficulty.

    Burutai, who was represented by Brig.-Gen. Samuel Adebayo, also identified improperly registered SIM cards in use in the country as a challenge.

    These, he noted, were making identity tracking, especially in the case of kidnappings, terrorism and other forms of criminal acts in the country almost an impossible task.

    “In some instances, these SIM cards are registered with phony names, untraceable addresses or even unrecognisable photographs.

    “For those who are involved in investigation of those kinds of things, when you go to the service provider, you will discover that the data on some people is blank; there is no face attached to it.

    “In some cases, the users live in the bush or hills, but registered the SIM cards with addresses that don’t exist because the man who registered them allowed such a thing without any method of confirmation.

    “So, when it comes to the analysis, you discover that you are hitting a brick wall because to do a link analysis becomes very difficult or unfortunately impossible.

    “I believe there is the need to raise this issue because as at a week ago, we were still able to get some SIM cards that are unregistered from vendors without any problem, and they are still working till now’’.

    Burutai identified other challenges of Digital, Mobile and Computer Forensics

    to include inadequate personnel to handle cases, and rapid advancement in evolution of mobile phones and devices with huge cost implications for the military.

    He urged participants at the conference to critically examine the issues and come up with lasting solutions to the problems.

    The President of CFIN, Dr Peter Olayiwola, said the three-day conference would provide practical solutions to the issues raised by the Chief of Army Staff.

    “The relevance of this conference to Nigeria is expressed in its theme, which is `Digital, Mobile and Computer Forensics: Tools for Intelligence, Investigation and National Security’. The three-day conference promises to deliver just that.

    “It should be borne in mind that as a result of the tremendous increase in digital devices today, most of the evidence needed to convict the criminal is resident in these devices.

    “Mobile and computer forensics provide the best form of evidence today, whether intelligence gathering, investigation and for national security. So, be prepared to learn,’’ Olayiwola said. (NAN)

  • Buratai charges RSMs to ensure discipline in barracks

    Buratai charges RSMs to ensure discipline in barracks

    The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Burutai, Monday charged Regimental Sergeant Majors (RSMs) to ensure discipline at all times in units and barracks.

    He maintained that regimentation and discipline are the core principles of the Nigerian Army, in which the tradition, ethics and customs of the army are enshrined.

    Burutai, who was represented by the Chief of Army Administration, Maj.-Gen. Idris Alkali, gave the directive while declaring open the 2017 Regimental Sergeant Major Convention at the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Enugu.

    The theme of the three-day convention is: “Strengthening the Framework for Discipline and Regimentation for Professional Responsiveness in the Nigerian Army’’.

    The COAS, further noted that the army demanded a clear-cut professionalism and dedication to duty from regimental sergeant majors.

    his words :“The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) demands improved performance from the regimental sergeant majors.

    “At all times, you must uphold high regimentation and discipline in your various units and barracks.

    “As you know, regimentation and discipline is the core principles of the Nigerian Army, in which the tradition, ethics and customs of the army are enshrined,’’ he said.

    The Chief of Army Staff further charged them to act as a father to soldiers as well as custodians of their units and barracks.

    “You must ensure that you extend what you learnt to your soldiers and all those under you; since if the knowledge dies with you it is a waste,’’ he said.

    Earlier in his welcome address, Maj.-Gen. Adamu Abubakar, General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 82 Division, averred that the “regimental sergeant majors is the most effective link between officers and soldiers’’.

    “Without discipline, personnel will not be able to key into the COAS vision of having a professionally responsive Nigerian Army in the discharge of its constitutional roles,’’ Abubakar said.

    He advised the participants to utilize the teachings in the convention to fashion out how best to perform their roles in the interest of the Nigerian army and the country at large.

    “You are expected to pass down the knowledge gained in this convention to your troops in your various units and barracks,’’ he noted.

  • ‘Sports necessary to fight terrorism’

    ‘Sports necessary to fight terrorism’

    The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar has said physical exercise through sporting activities is a necessary training feature for military personnel in the fight against terrorism and other security challenges in Nigeria.

    The Air Force Chief made this known during the closing ceremony of the Army Headquarters and Guards Brigade Garrison Sports Competition at the Aguiyi Ironsi cantonment, Abuja. The championship was organized to select athletes that will represent the Army Headquarters, during the Nigerian Army Sports Festival holding in October 2016 in Abuja.

    Abubakar, who was the Special Guest of Honour said sports oil the machinery of the armed forces all over the world as it promotes physical fitness, engenders team spirit and the espirit de corps among troops and improves productivity.

    He said: “Sports enables the military man to build endurance, withstand stress and it engenders good health and total well being. It remains one of the essential ingredients of building combat ready personnel. The philosophy of building friendship through sports is even more relevant to the armed forces giving its key role in the promotion of the espirit de corps.

    “This clearly explains why sports championships are a recurring feature for training activities for all the services. I am particularly happy to be part of today’s occasion which attests  to the Nigerian army professional  thrust to cope with the existing security challenges in our country.”

    The Air Marshall said the importance of sporting activities among service men cannot be downplayed giving the security challenges facing the country.” I want to commend the Chief Of Army Staff (COAS) for organizing this competition, which is a prelude to a bigger sporting event in October, the  kind of challenges we face today requires personnel that have a sound mind in a sound body, so what we are having here is a demonstration of how healthy and able our personnel are to deal with some of the challenges we are facing in Nigeria,” he said.

    On his part, the COAS, Lt. Gen. Tukur Burutai, praised the cooperation between the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Air Force promises that such cooperation will help not only in improving Nigerian security but also help defeat terrorism.

    “This is a corporation that has been going on for a long time between the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Air Force. One of the principles of war is corporation, so while we cooperate in the field, we also come down to the sport environment to further get our troops physically fit to continue to fight and address any challenge we have in the theater or any other area in the country.

    “So it is a cooperation we cherish and I appreciate the Chief Of Air Staff for coming here personally. We look forward to more of such cooperation not only in the informal way in sports arena, but we will continue to do that as we have been doing in the various theatres of operation,” Burutai said.

    The Army chief also promised that sports competitions will not only serve to improve soldier’s fitness, but also as a channel to provide athletes that will represent Nigeria in continental and global competitions.

    “Army sports are back, we recently won the boxing championship that was held in Cameroon, our troops were also in one of the eastern countries to participate in boxing and you know recently, the Nigerian army football team, the Green Berets got the promoted to Division one in one of the leagues.

    “So this is a beginning, a restart of what we used to do before. It is unfortunate that over the years, some of these basic activities were relegated, but today the army is back as a force, we are good in all spheres, since we have started, I want to assure you that by next year we will get more laurels and we will be participating in the National Sports Festival coming up later in the year.”

    However, the Guards Brigade Garrison defeated the Army Headquarters Garrison by winning 42 gold, 50 silver and 25 bronze medals while the Army Headquarters on 39 gold, 30 silver and 30 bronze medals. The three-day event witnessed competitions in  Boxing, Judo, wrestling, taekwondo, swimming, volleyball, football, handball, tug of war, badminton, scrabble, chess, squash and table tennis. It also witnessed track and field events including combat relay.