Buhari pledges more support in fight against insurgency

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By Mathew Dadiya, Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari celebrated the sacrifices and successes of the Nigerian military in defending the country courageously and vowed to provide additional support for them to succeed.

The President spoke on Thursday at the graduation ceremony of 247 students of the Senior Course 44 of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, Kaduna State.

Buhari promised that his government would continue to provide the needed support required to wipe out terrorists and insurgents ‘‘off the face of the earth.’’

‘‘The Armed Forces of Nigeria are working tirelessly to enhance their combat effectiveness, operational capability and training necessary to eliminate the threats, in synergy with other institutions and nations.

‘‘The response of the Armed Forces of Nigeria to the Boko Haram insurgency, banditry, militancy, kidnapping as well as the activities of separatists and armed militias amongst others have been commendable.

‘‘This government will continue to provide the required guidance and support to ensure that the desired results are achieved,’’ he said.

The President noted that most of the security challenges facing the world today were both asymmetric and trans-border in nature, involving mainly non-state actors in different regions and sub-regions of the world.

He added that the West African sub-region and indeed our beloved continent of Africa are not immune to these threats.

‘‘We have witnessed recent terrorist attacks in Nigeria bearing the hallmark of national and trans-border insurgents trying to cause havoc in Nigeria as well as in neighbouring countries.

‘‘It will be part of your duty to confront these terrorists and insurgents and wipe them off the face of the earth and bring peace to our countries,’’ the President told the graduating students.

Buhari described the specifics of their training which focused primarily on countering security threats as very important, adding that ‘‘combating these prevalent security threats effectively demands that African countries continue to work together at all levels; be it tactical, operational and strategic.’’

Appraising the ongoing collaboration of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger Republic, Benin Republic and Chad in a multinational operation to combat the Boko Haram Insurgency in the Lake Chad region, the Nigerian leader said it has been productive, commendable and successful.

He said: ‘‘the synergy achieved in operating together must have been enhanced by an understanding of the doctrines of the cooperating forces.”

‘‘This occasion provides me another opportunity to briefly reflect on the state of the Nigerian nation, particularly regarding national security. The last 12 years have been very challenging for our nation, considering the different security threats that have besieged the country”, he added.

In his address of welcome, the Commandant of the College, Air vice Marshall (AVM) Olurotimi Tuwase, explained that 111 army officers, 69 naval officers, 42 air force officers, 10 students from paramilitary organisations and Ministries, Department and Agencies as well as 15 international students completed the 48 weeks intensive training, leading to the award of Pass Staff Course (PSC).

AVM Tuwase added that the international students on the Senior Course 44 were from Burkina Faso, Cameroun, Chad, The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo and Zambia.