Boko Haram, militancy challenge Army for war—tukur buratal

THE Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Lt-Gen. Tukur
Buratai, has said the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East, militancy in Niger Delta and other criminalities in the country have challenged the Nigerian Army’s operational capacity to fulfil its constitutional roles.

Buratai, who spoke yesterday while declaring open the First
Commanding Officers’ Workshop organised by the Division 2,
Nigerian Army, Ibadan, in Maiduguri, said Nigeria was faced
with security challenges that had impacted negatively on the
livelihoods of people.

The Chief of Army Staff, who was represented by Theatre
Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Major General Lucky
Irabor, said Boko Haram insurgency manifested the gravest
threat to the nation’s national security.

According to him, “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.”

He 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.

The COAS urged 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.”

General Officer Commanding, GOC, 2 Division, Nigerian
 Army Ibadan, Major-General Chukwudubem Abraham,
 said in his opening remarks that 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 considering the current security challenges in the country.