By ARMSTRONG ALLAHMAGANI, Bauchi
The Chief Of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai, has said that with the newly procured war tanks for the Nigerian army armoured corps, the end to the Boko Haram insurgency in the northeast is very near.
NATIONAL ACCORD reports that the newly procured war tanks are called VT4 MBT and ST1 light tanks.
Buratai who stated this during a training of officers and live firing demonstration at Geji firing range Bauchi, added that the end of myriad of insecurity in the country is near –particularly in the Northeast.
He also said that with the increasing insecurity in the Country, soldiers and officers must be decisive and combine action with weapons to combat the insurgents in parts of the north east.
According to him, the newly acquired weapons and training will enable the officers exterminate Boko Haram remnants in the region.
He said: “When you’re deploy to the field, you must be decisive, there must be decisive action. We must deal with them.
“When you combine fire power, mobility and shock action. The adversary has no option than to be hurt and be dealt with, urgently. We must give them shock and hurt.”
Buratai commended the team of Operation Lafiya Dole over their “tremendous efforts to combat the insurgency in the North East.”
He said the Army would mobilise the newly graduated men with the armoured tanks to tame the Boko Haram terrorists.
He charged the graduating men to deploy boldness, courage after the course –of which they can be deployed to any of the hotspot state across the country. He however charged them to improve and be proficient in the training.
“You must be also adapt to the tactical aspect of operations –especially, using the tank or tank tactics.
“The officers must know how to deploy them in the field, in defense, in attack, patrols, on ambushes, on raids and so on. You must combine driving, maintenance, with tactical use of this weapons,” he said.
Buratai promised that advanced training will be organised for officers from the electrical and mechanical units of the army so that they could maintain the vehicles properly.
Also speaking, the Commander, Armoured Corps, Bauchi, Major General MH Magaji explained that they complied with the directives from the army headquarters by assembling personnels from different army formations and units for trainings.
He appealed to the chief of army staff to construct an access road to the firing range to facilitate easy movements of officers during exercises like that one.
Magaji assured that with those armour fighting vehicles procured, the corps would make Nigeria proud in the course of fighting insurgents in the nation.
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