The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Kenneth Minimah, has verbalized the Nigerian Army is getting incipient equipment that will enable it to fight terrorism and combat the Boko Haram insurgency in the country.
The COAS insisted that the military was making progress in its counter-terrorism campaigns, integrating that Nigerians must be patient with the accommodation.
Minimah verbalized this while fielding questions from journalists in Abuja on Monday shortly after declaring open the Chief of Army Staff, Third Quarter Conference 2014, comprising Commanders of Army Formations, Department and Units.
“Yes, we have equipment, and the Federal Government is additionally introducing fresh and more incipient equipment to us, which will anon be home.
“The Nigerian Army is performing and I withal ken the prospects of the Nigerian citizens, the prospects are rather too hasty; we require some time, we require patience, we are fighting terrorism, we are not fighting a conventional war,” he verbally expressed.
The COAS verbalized the Army was vigilant that some soldiers were deserting at the war front, but noted that, “Desertion is a component of warfare. We must accept that since the Carthaginian wars, soldiers have deserted from battle field.”
He explicated that the Army had commenced recruitment of incipient hands, verbally expressing many individuals, who wanted their wards to join the accommodation, had been reaching out to the Army.
Minimah verbally expressed, “We are doing our recruitment now, we are withal receiving persuasions from people who want their wards enlisted in the Army.
“Now, if we don’t have an exhaustive recruitment, mind you, there is high caliber of unemployment on the ground, most people want jobs, if that job designates joining the Army, fine; it’s a source of employment, but when the authenticity of military accommodation comes, he drops his rifle and runs away.”
Referring to the recent reported mutiny in Maiduguri and the controversial burning of BRT buses and eradication of property in Lagos by soldiers, Minimah charged commanders to put all measures in place to check acts of indiscipline, malfeasance and unprofessional conduct by troops under their commands.
He verbally expressed that he had inserted place measures to enhance the capabilities of troops through amended training, equipment repairs and attention to their welfare and motivation.
