Nigerian Army To Get Offensive Towards Boko Haram Says Chief Of Army Staff

Major General Tukur Buratai, The Chief of Army Staff, on Friday said that the Nigerian Military would adopt an offensive disposition to eradicate the menace of insurgents in the country.


The Army Chief made the remarks while at the combined graduation of 105 personnel under the Basic Air bone Course 37 and Basic Rigger Course 23 at Jaji, Kaduna State.

He said: "The era of waiting in defensive position for criminals to come and attack and runaway must stop. We must take the battle to them and dislodge them wherever they are. In line with these, we must learn to adopt offensive disposition and respond quickly and appropriately to all situations, taking into cognizance our rules of engagement. In view of our current challenges, our primary assignment in contributing our quota to national service is inline with my vision to strive towards eradicating the menace of terrorism from our nation."

Buratai went ahead to describe the Airborne Course as one of the Special Forces Courses, whose activities he had always followed with keen interest. In his words: "This underlines my utmost desire to ensure the continuous improvement of the Airborne training in the Nigerian Army. During my tenure as Chief of Army Staff, training in all aspects of our professional duties would be accorded its rightful place in line with my vision for the Nigerian Army to have a professionally responsive Army in the discharge of its constitutional roles. With the degree of motivation in you that I have seen this morning as well as the display of the commendable professional attitude, I am highly convinced that you will successfully execute all assigned tasks as far as Airborne Special Operation are concerned. Together we shall make a difference in our Army and our nation.”

Buratai also urged those who completed the training not to relent in ensuring that quality and high level training remained the watch word of the Nigerian Army School of Infantry, Jaji.

The COAS, who was one time Commandant of the School, commended the Federal Government for the support being given to the institution and the Nigerian Army in general. He commended the Jaji community and the Nigerian School of Infantry for the effort in ensuring the success of the event.
He pledged the support of the Nigerian Army Headquarters to the training of Army personnel at the school and the other training institutions. NAN reports that 71 cadets and 34 Army volunteers graduated from the training .

Meanwhile, the Army Chief has supervised the graduation of 658 personnel of NIBATT 37 UNMIL after pre-deployment training at the Nigerian Army PeaceKeeping Centre (NAPKC) in Jaji.
Buratai warned the personnel not to tarnish the image of the Nigeria and the Army during their stay in Liberia and said: "The Nigerian Army will not accept any situation where its troops are seen as soft targets or conducting themselves in unprofessional manner such as trafficking in illicit substances of any kind including alcohol and drugs as these practices negate the United Nations (UN) ethics"

Buratai reminded the personnel of the UN zero tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse and warned that both the Army and the Federal Government would not tolerate contravention of the policies. He said: “You must exhibit the highest sense of personal and environmental hygiene as Liberia is just emerging from the Ebola Epidemic.”