The Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru, has revealed that the resurgence of Boko Haram in the North-East, particularly in Borno State, is part of the insurgents’ renewed efforts to destabilise the Sahel states of Nigeria, Mali, Burkina-Faso, and Niger Republic.
He, however, said the Federal Government is dealing with the challenge, adding that the Nigerian Armed Forces had gained momentum in recent weeks, eliminating a good number of insurgents.
‘If you are following what is happening in Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali, you will see that these attacks have heightened everywhere.
‘There is a renewed vigour by the insurgents to destabilise the Sahel, we are doing a lot to curtail them, and we will fight it, and normalcy will return by the special grace of God and your prayers’.
‘If you will do justice to us, in the past one or two weeks, you will see that the armed forces are gaining momentum and attacking and eliminating them’, Badaru said.
The minister said this during a two-day working visit to military institutions, including the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) and the Air Force Institute of Technology in Kaduna State, where he inspected ongoing construction projects and interacted with senior officers.
Speaking to journalists shortly after he toured military facilities, the minister highlighted the importance of both kinetic and non-kinetic approaches in addressing security challenges in the country.
While kinetic approaches involve military action, non-kinetic approaches focus on appeasing communities and addressing underlying issues.
‘In the North-West, we have bandits, and we are dealing with them.
‘In Benue, it’s majorly communal clashes, farmer-herder clashes. We are dealing with that, and on that, you need more of the non-kinetic approach to appease the people and to let them know that they cannot continue attacking each other’, he said.
The minister expressed satisfaction with the progress made by the Nigerian Defence Academy, Air Force Institute of Technology and other military institutions in research and development, which he believed would soon make the country self-sufficient in military equipment.
‘The institutions are doing a very good job and they are also carrying out the instructions of Mr President in deep research so that we will eventually be self-sufficient in our military requirements, including the platforms and the equipment we need to execute the military functions.
‘I believe they are doing very well in research, we have seen the innovations that they are doing, ranging from MWRAPS, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and other equipment that are needed by the armed forces’, he added.
He noted that the production of military hardware locally meant the country was moving from import to self-reliance.
He commended the NDA for its efforts in training cadets and producing highly committed officers.
The Commandant of the NDA, Maj Gen Abdul-Khalifa Ibrahim, thanked the Federal Government for providing necessary resources and upgrading the academy’s infrastructure.
