In a bid to maintain the
strong momentum so far garnered in the on-going counter-insurgency campaign in
the North-East, as well as boost the fighting capacity of security forces in
line with current global best practices, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen.
Kenneth Minimah, on Tuesday said over 600 army officers have so far been
trained in a range of specialist courses at different military institutions
abroad, while new military equipment have been acquired.
The
Army chief disclosed this during the Commanding Officers' Conference for army
officers held at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC), Jaji,
Kaduna State.
The conference, in collaboration with the
British Military Advisory and Training Team, is part of efforts targeted at
enhancing the prospects of the Nigerian Army in the ongoing war against the
Boko Haram terrorists in the North East.
The
Army chief who noted that the British Military Advisory and Training Team have
been assisting Nigeria in the capacity building of its military forces in the
areas of tactics for over thirty five years, maintained that this particular
seminar will focus on operation development of the officers aimed at making the
Nigerian Army a professional force, adding that such collaboration is already
yielding good result.
He
also assured Nigerians that the military will soon recapture all territories in
the north east which were under the control of the Boko Haram sect.
Addressing
the officers at the event, Lt. Gen. Minimah, harped on the need for continuous
training and re-training of army personnel on order to enhance their operational
capacity and thus effectively tackle the current security challenges facing the
nation.
He
disclosed that the Nigerian Army had in the last one year embarked on intensive
individual and group training of personnel within and outside the country,
adding that such initiative is already yielding positive result with the recent
onslaught against the Boko Haram insurgents in the north east.
Speaking
at the forum, head of the British Military Advisory Council, Brig. Gen. Jonny
Bourne, gave an sight of the contributions of his country in capacity building
of Nigerian military personnel.
He
also expressed confidence that such training and collaboration in some key
areas will assist Nigeria to overcome the current security challenges.
Over
100 officers, including Commanding Officers and Brigade Commanders, were drawn
from the various army Divisions, Brigades and Units to attend the seminar,
which will be ending today.
The
conference is focusing on capacity-building development in three areas;
intelligence and analysis, operational capacity building and force sustainment.
These areas, according to the organizers of the seminar, are critical in the
effort by the Nigerian Army to defeat the current security challenges.
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