The military said at the weekend it has taken delivery of new weapons to be deployed in the North-east to combat terrorism.
Speaking at a Sallah luncheon with troops, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Buratai, said the Nigerian Army had taken delivery of additional vehicles and fighting equipment that were procured last year and deployed to the theatre of war in the last one year.
Buratai told troops of Super Camp 14 Damasak in Borno State that apart from the ones deployed last year, the Nigerian Army had taken delivery of “new weapons and armaments of different calibres that will soon be injected into the mission area.”
He said Operation Lafiya Dole had recorded tremendous successes over Boko Haram, ISWAP, their international and local collaborators as well as their auxiliaries.
“Although a lot of progress has been made in containing the threats posed by the insurgents more needs to be done to maintain control over the liberated territories and to fully establish government authority in all areas within the North-east region.
“We must remain poised to ensure the final defeat of the terrorists and to resist any attempt by the criminals to re-establish control in the liberated area,” Buratai added.
The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, also said at the weekend that unmanned aerial vehicles would be deployed in Katsina, Zamfara and Gombe States to contain insurgents and armed bandits.
Abubakar, at a luncheon with Nigerian Air Force (NAF) personnel of the Air Component of Operation Hadarin Daji, said: “Some of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) being procured for the NAF would be stationed in Katsina and Gusau, to cover the North-west and Gombe for the North-east.”
He added that steps were also being taken to improve the development and employment of NAF special forces in order to keep them motivated to remain the excellent lethal force they had become.
He charged the personnel to maintain control of the operational space and exploit every intelligence resource.
“We must continue to remain focused by maintaining the highest level of vigilance and combat readiness that the NAF is known for in order to rid our communities of criminal elements,” he said.
In his remarks, Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State while appreciating the immense contributions of the NAF in addressing the security challenges facing Katsina State and the entire North-west zone, expressed delight that the construction of the aircraft hangar, along with ancillary facilities would soon commence.
Addressing the soldiers during Eid-El-Kabir lunch with troops of the Air Taskforce Operation Lafiya Dole in Yola, Adamawa State capital as part of the tradition to foster comradeship in the fight against insurgency, Abubakar said the recent procurement of additional platforms such as the Super Tucano aircraft and other platforms had changed their mode of operations in the fight against the insurgency.
“The essence of this celebration is to help fill the void created by not being able to celebrate with our families because you are deployed at the frontlines.
“To this end, let me congratulate you for the recent procurement of the Super Tucano aircraft to NAF. It shows we are committed to ensuring the total elimination of the Insurgency in our country,” he added.