In spite of the Boko Haram insurgency in the country, Nigerian security agencies now have a fresh challenge to contend with.
The
new task, according to the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General
Azubike Ihejirika, is the presence of suspected terrorists believed to
have been trained by Malian rebels, in Nigeria.
Boko Haram
terrorists, like the Malian Islamist rebels, have for years held the
Northern part of Nigeria by the jugular, killing and maiming people,
especially Christians in their quest to Islamise Nigeria.
Ihejirika
however, told journalists at the Nigerian Army Peacekeeping Centre
(NAPKC), Jaji, Kaduna State on Thursday, that internal security was
being intensified to track them down.
“We are aware that most of the terrorists in this country today were trained in Mali.
“We
are also aware that as of yesterday, there was still an influx of some
chaps trained in Mali into the country,” he said, shortly after the
first batch of Nigerian troops to the African-led International Support
Mission to Mali departed the country (Nigeria).
Ihejirika added
that Nigeria and its immediate neighbours were already enhancing their
internal security strategies as their troops began participating in the
peace-keeping operation in Mali.
He said, “Nigeria will not only
be supporting the resolution of the international community, but also
enhancing its own security and that of its immediate neighbours by
undertaking this operation.
“What we are going into could be
described as peace enforcement; that is to bring peace with the use of
force. And as to whether the operation will be conventional or
insurgent, the troops should have a mixture of both because of the
characters of the rebels.”
The COAS assured that the Federal
Government had made adequate provision for the welfare of the soldiers,
adding that gone were the days when “the welfare of our soldiers was an
issue.”
“We have solved this problem (of welfare) some years back
by ensuring that every soldier is paid through the bank. So, before
soldiers move for a mission, they open accounts in which a certain
percentage of their allowances are paid into while they are given some
stipends. With this, the issue of welfare will never arise,” he added.
Ihejirika
said that the country was embarking on the mission to complement
ongoing efforts to ensure peace and stability in the crisis-ravaged Mali
and asked the 900 soldiers who underwent a four-week pre-deployment
training at the NAPKC to be resolute, dedicated and disciplined.
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