Boko Haram: Theatre commander states what Army needs for success
- Theatre Commander of the Operation Lafiya Dole, Olusegun Adeniyi, says Boko Haram is not difficult to defeat
- Major General Adeniyi, however, suggests an Army aviation with special helicopters different from the ones currently used by the Air Force in the fight
- Senator Ali Ndume says members of the National Assembly are in Borno to assess the security situation in the north east
To successfully prosecute the battle against Boko Haram insurgency, the Nigerian Army simply needs an aviation unit, Theatre Commander Olusegun Adeniyi of the Operation Lafiya Dole has said.
Major General Adeniyi stated this when he was visited by a delegation from the National Assembly’s joint committee on the Army led by Senator Ali Ndume on Thursday, October 10.
“The only thing that needs to be given to the army now is Nigeria Army Aviation.
“There is a way you solve a problem that will change the game. The army needs combat helicopters to end the Boko Haram war.
"If we have it, it will not be deployed like air force assets, air force jets which are for bigger strategic goals,” the Army officer told the lawmakers on a two-day oversight function.
He added that these proposed helicopters would remain with the soldiers throughout the battle and on the front line.
Noting that the helicopters and the rifles are dispatched together, he added that this suggestion has been made years back.
“When this is done, Nigeria can forget about Boko Haram,” he said while insisting that the Boko Haram group is not formidable as people perceive it.
“Boko Haram cannot sustain 15 minutes of intensive firing. I personally exchange with Boko Haram in Marte, in Delta, in Gubio as deputy theater commander and as theatre commander,” he said.
After a closed-door meeting with Adeniyi, Ndume and Hon Abdulrazaq Namdas of the House of Representatives said they were in Borno to assess the situation, especially now that insurgency is resurfacing in parts of the north east and at a period the 2020 budget is being looked into.
“We have discussed with the troops; but as you know, our deliberations cannot be made public because it pertains security.
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“But I can assure you that the new leadership of the theatre and their demonstrated determination to this war is quite inspiring,” Ndume said.
Legit.ng earlier reported that Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, Chief of Army Staff (COAS), recently released new revelation about the fight against Boko Haram insurgents in Nigeria.
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