Army establishes special squad to combat Boko Haram

The Nigerian Army has established a special squad to combat the menace of Boko Haram.The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, who spoke at a two-day security awareness workshop organised by the Nigerian army on Wednesday, said the suicide attacks carried out by Boko Haram had only indicated that the group did not have respect for human lives.Ihejirika said the Special Response Group would complement the efforts of the Joint Task Force and other security operatives in the battle to restore sanity in the society.Ihejirika, said the decision was informed by the need to boost the capacity of his men to handle the challenge of Boko Haram.Ihejirika noted that security operatives had encountered difficulty in protecting potential victims of terror attacks because of the nature of the operations of those behind such attacks.He said, The unpredictable and random nature of terrorist acts makes it difficult for security forces to protect all potential victims and targets, since they are faceless and have an unlimited number of potential targets.He stated that the lack of the expected degree of training played a major role in the way security operatives had handled the Boko Haram issue.The COAS said the leadership of the army would ensure that it came up with new strategies to handle such emergent threat to peace and security.Meanwhile, Youth Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria has said the continued attack on Nigerians by Boko Haram is a serious threat to the unity and corporate existence of Nigeria.In a communiqu at the end of a one-day retreat in Jos on Wednesday, the association called for a complete overhaul of security agencies to enable the government to stop Boko Haram from carrying out more attacks.The communique was signed by the National President, Mr. Simon Dolly, Plateau State Chairman, Youth CAN, Bistu Johnson, and the Chairman Communiqu Committee, Mr. Emmanuel Nanle.It said, The security added mechanism in the country should be overhauled completely as the increasing wave of violence has become a major threat to Nigerias unity and corporate existence.The association noted that the inadequacy of relief materials and lack of compensation for victims of unprovoked attacks and ethno-religious violence in the country had motivated vengeance and reprisal attacks.
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