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Saturday 25 July 2015

Expdonaloaded News; Boko Haram must be dislodged –COAS

Chief of Army Staff, Major General Tukur Y. Buratai yesterday charged men of the Nigerian army to take the fight to the dreaded Boko Haram insurgents and dislodge them completely. He said the era of waiting in defensive positions for the Boko Haram to come and attack and run away must stop. The Army Chief stated this in Kaduna during the graduation ceremony of Nigerian Battalion 37, United Nations Mission in Liberia, UNMIL, pre-deployment training at the Nigerian Army Peacekeeping Centre, NAPKC and the combined graduation of Basic Airborne Course 37 and Basic Rigger Course 23 of the Airborne wing of the Nigerian Army School of Infantry, NASI, Jaji Cantonment.
The Army boss challenged the troops to adopt offensive disposition and respond quickly and appropriately to all situations in taking on the insurgents. He said the army has the wherewithal to tackle its internal problems and that it was on top of the situation in the North East. According to him: “The cardinal points of this vision are professionalism and responsiveness. In line with these, we must learn to adopt offensive disposition and respond quickly and appropriately to all situations, taking cognisance of our rules of engagement. “The era of waiting in defensive positions for criminals to come and attack and run away must stop. We must take the battle to them and dislodge them wherever they are. I, therefore, want you to show your commitment to this vision”. To the 658 troops deployed on peacekeeping mission to Liberia, the Army Chief warned: “The Nigerian Army will not accept any situation where its troops are seen as soft targets or conducting themselves in an unprofessional manner such as trafficking in illicit substances of any kind, including alcohol and drugs as these practices negate United Nations ethics. “I must also remind you of the United Nations zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse. The Nigerian Army and indeed Nigerian government will not tolerate the contravention of these policies and directives. Be reminded to work within the rules of engagement of the mission. “Additionally, you must respect the cultural and religious sensitivity of the people of Liberia. You must exhibit the highest sense of person/ environmental hygiene as Liberia is just emerging from Ebola epidemic,” Maj. Gen. Buratai said. Earlier, the Commandant, NAPKC, Maj. Gen. Imomotimi Birigeni had said he had no doubt that the high level of enthusiasm and cohesion exhibited by the soldiers would reflect in their conduct in theatre of operation. He charged them to work hard to improve on the skills they acquired during the training.