Boko Haram gets foreign training, funding, says Ihejirika

Posted by admin Armed Forces, Boko Haram, Latest Politics Wednesday, September 28th, 2011

The Chief Of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant-General Onyeabor Azubuike Ihejirika, yesterday told journalists that it was no longer in doubt that the Boko Haram group was receiving training and possibly funding from external forces, if the kinds of weapons and communication gadgets so far captured from the group by the military were anything to go by.

Gen. Ihejirika, who made this known in an interview with journalists at the opening of the third quarterly Chief Of Army Staff Conference holding in Abuja, while speaking on the activities of bomb blast orchestrated by the Boko Haram sect in the country, said “it is definite that the groups that call themselves Boko Haram or terrorists receive training and possibly funding from foreign elements.

This is evident from the type or weapons we have captured from them, from the type of communication equipment we have captured from them and from the expertise they have displayed in the preparation of improvised explosive. All these are pointers to the fact that there is foreign involvement in the terrorism going on in Nigeria.”

He, however, assured Nigerians of the capability and readiness of the Nigerian Army to carry out its assigned task, even as he has promised that the army would cooperate and collaborate with other security agencies to improve on its present performance of curbing the menace of Boko Haram in the country. He maintained that the issue of curbing insecurity was the collective responsibility of all.
The army chief while expressing worry that the country was still recording incidences of bomb blasts despite the stringent security measures put in place by government to curb the menace, charged commanders and heads of units of the various formations of the army in the country to apply new technique in the modus of their operations as the situation could no longer be tolerated by the Army Head Quarters.
Ihejirika, who expressed dissatisfaction in the role played by soldiers to tackle the boko haram crisis, said “This quarter has been particularly challenging in view of the numerous security incidence across the country, the most recent being the UN bombing by the terrorists here in Abuja.

This is essential a training conference and hence a large number of officers taking part. It is as we have been told to appraise our performance training, administration and in tackling the operational challenges the Nigerian Army has been involved in both internally and externally.
“I want to emphasise that we have to be very frank and do a serious critique of our performances so that we can come out with a solution that will aid our performances in future undertakings.
This is born out of my belief that despite of the commendations, the expectation is still high; both from my office and from the general public.

A situation where bombing will continue to go on despite some measures being put in place is unacceptable. So we need to really dissect our modus of operation, and the way we work and cooperate with other agencies so as so to come up with better strategies to enhance security tremendously”. A visibly angry Ihejirika told his officers.
“despite some measures being put in place is unacceptable. So we need to really dissect our modus of operation, and the way we work and cooperate with other agencies so as so to come up with better strategies to enhance security tremendously.

-Sunwp_posts