Nigeria seeks help of retired soldiers to tackle terrorists

Abuja

Having lost over 100,000 people in the 12-year-old insurgency in the north-east zone, Nigeria, which suffered an attack on a military school on Tuesday, has resolved to engage retired soldiers to tackle insecurity.

Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen Lucky Irabor, interacted with some retired military officers in Yola North East state of Adamawa on Tuesday where he said he had started mobilising for the recall of retired officers.

“It is part of the reason why I am here with my team, to interact with our retired senior colleagues to look for holistic solutions about how to bring to an end the insecurity in the region,” he at the meeting which was held at 23 Armoured Brigade in Yola.

“We believe that as we interact and engage them, they will be ready to open up to us in areas that will enhance security,” he added.

Gen Irabor said that the engagement of retired soldiers from the north east region would be a productive and a quick solution to the terrorist menace.

Security will improve

“We believe that principally, the solution to the north east problem will be largely dependent on the inputs of those who come from the region. Also, we believe that in the coming days, security will improve and be better in the region and Nigeria at large,” he added.

His security tour kicked off as the military launched a manhunt for the gunmen who killed two officers and abducted another one from the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) in Afaka, Kaduna State on Tuesday morning.

Bandits kidnapped an army major and killed two high ranking officers who were fighting the gunmen as they attempted to enter the hostels.

Located on the Kaduna-Lagos highway about 10 kilometres from Kaduna city centre, NDA is a military university that trains officer cadets for commissioning into the army, the navy and the air force.

The institution’s spokesman, Major Bashir Jajira, said in a statement that efforts were on to rescue the abducted officer.

Security compromised

“The security architecture of the Nigerian Defence Academy was compromised early this morning (Tuesday) by unknown gunmen who gained access into the residential area within the academy in Afaka,” he said.

Meanwhile, Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno said that it was erroneous to report that 36,000 people have died in the in the north east.

He said that more than 100,000 people have died since the insurgency started in 2009.

Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday, Zulum also said that 2,600 Boko Haram and ISWAP members who surrendered were in custody but explained that not all of them are criminals.