Nigerian Army ill-equipped to fight terrorism, Boko Haram

Participants at the Commanding Officers' Workshop 2012 have identified ill-equipped and lack of adequately trained personnel for counter terrorism as reasons terrorist acts and Boko Haram insurgency continue unabated in the country.The participants, drawn from the Nigerian Army formations across the country, in a communiqu issued at the end of the five-day workshop with the theme:"Enhancing the Capacity of Unit Commanders to meet Contemporary Challenges to the Nigerian Army" held at the 2 Division Headquarters, Adekunle Fajuyi Cantonment, Odogbo, Ibadan, Oyo State on Friday, stressed the need for focused training to effectively combat and subdue the Boko Haram menace since it had been identified as "a threat the Nigerian Army was not adequately trained and equipped to handle."They urged authorities of the Nigerian Army to focus on combined inter-agency training on internal security operations.The communiqu, which was read on behalf of the participants by Colonel Taiwo Durowaye of 302 Artillery General Support Regiment, also identified terrorism as a phenomenon the army was not adequately trained and equipped to handle.According to the communiqu, terrorism exists and operates successfully in Nigeria hence, a threat the Nigerian Army must confront by ensuring that units deployed for counter terrorism tasks are reinforced with at least a platoon of counter terrorist trained personnel for special operations.To this end, the unit commanders were advised to cultivate mutual trust and camaraderie with other agencies operating in their respective formations.The communiqu also highlighted the art of winning the hearts and minds of the local populace as an important factor in combating the current security challenges in the country.It urged the commanding officers to maintain good civil-military relations with communities in their respective areas of operations to enhance information gathering and success in operations.
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