Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai has affirmed that the Federal Government is acquiring and installing modern technologies in the fight against the Boko Haram.
He said the development was made possible through governmentโs collaboration with the United States (U.S.), Israel, United Kingdom (UK), Jordan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He added that these countries are also helping regarding capacity building for personnel of the Armed Forces.
The Army Chief did not, however, disclose the categories of technologies that are being acquired to defeat insurgency in the Northeast.
Lt.-Gen. Buratai spoke at the opening of a four-day international seminar on Managing Asymmetric Security Challenges in the 21st Century at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, Abuja.
He announced that the Army under his leadership, in collaboration with the Nigerian Navy and the Nigerian Air Force, has substantially degraded Boko Haram.
He lauded President Muhammadu Buhari for providing the needed resources to the Armed Forces in the fight against terror.
According to Gen. Buratai, the armed forces would continue to invest in capacity building for its personnel to enable them update their skills and fine-tune their knowledge.
Buratai said: โLet me observe that the array of participants in this seminar which cuts across members of the academia, military and other security actors both from within and outside Nigeria clearly shows the seriousness and concern we accord the issue of managing asymmetric security challenges in particular and world peace in general.
โLet me at this point commend the Nigerian Army Resource Centre for taking this bold step to translate an idea earlier conceived by me into reality.โ
Buratai emphasised that achieving success in tackling the emerging global security threats remains a collective responsibility and urged the participants to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the seminar to exchange ideas, information and knowledge.
Minister of Defence Mansur Mohammed Dan Ali, who was represented by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Abayomi Olonisakin, while opening the seminar, described it as timely.
He noted that the army by hosting the seminar has demonstrated its growing understanding of the complexities of managing contemporary security challenges.
โThis is particularly against the backdrop of our recent experience in responding to the Boko Haram-led insurgency in the Northeast and the grievances induced militancy in the Niger Delta.
โIt is pertinent to say that managing these challenges revolve around the intricate interplay of hard and soft power,โ the minister stated.
Among the countries participating in the seminar are Bangladesh, Cameroun, India, Mali, Niger, Pakistan, United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (U.S.).
