In spite of the Boko Haram insurgency in the country, Nigerian security agencies now have a fresh challenge to contend with.
The new task, according to the Chief of
Army Staff, Lieutenant General Azubike Ihejirika, is the presence of
suspected terrorists believed to have been trained by Malian rebels,
in Nigeria.
Boko Haram terrorists, like the Malian
Islamist rebels, have for years held the Northern part of Nigeria by
the jugular, killing and maiming people, especially Christians in their
quest to Islamise Nigeria.
Ihejirika however, told journalists
at the Nigerian Army Peacekeeping Centre (NAPKC), Jaji, Kaduna State on
Thursday, that internal security was being intensified to track them
down.
“We are aware that most of the terrorists in this country today were trained in Mali.
“We are also aware that as of yesterday,
there was still an influx of some chaps trained in Mali into the
country,” he said, shortly after the first batch of Nigerian troops to
the African- led International Support Mission to Mali departed the
country(Nigeria).
Ihejirika added that Nigeria and its
immediate neighbours were already enhancing their internal security
strategies as their troops began participating in the peace- keeping
operation in Mali.
He said, “Nigeria will not only be
supporting the resolution of the international community, but also
enhancing its own security and that of its immediate neighbours by
undertaking this operation.
“What we are going into could be
described as peace enforcement; that is to bring peace with the use of
force. And as to whether the operation will be conventional or
insurgent, the troops should have a mixture of both because of the
characters of the rebels.”
The COAS assured that the Federal
Government had made adequate provision for the welfare of the
soldiers, adding that gone were the days when “the welfare of our
soldiers was an issue.”
“We have solved this problem ( of
welfare ) some years back by ensuring that every soldier is paid through
the bank. So, before soldiers move for a mission, they open accounts
in which a certain percentage of their allowances are paid into while
they are given some stipends. With this, the issue of welfare will
never arise,” he added.
Ihejirika said that the country was
embarking on the mission to complement ongoing efforts to ensure peace
and stability in the crisis-ravaged Mali and asked the 900 soldiers who
underwent a four- week pre-deployment training at the NAPKC to be
resolute, dedicated and disciplined.
Shortly before the departure of the
first batch comprising 190 troops with defence correspondents working
for major electronics media houses in Abuja, the Senate approved
President Goodluck Jonathan’s request for the deployment of 1,200
troops for “a limited combat duty.”
Jonathan’s request reached the Senate on
Thursday and was given immediate consideration, first, behind closed
doors and later approved in plenary.
The 1,200 troops are however, 300 more
than the 900 troops which the Director of Defence Information, Col.
Mohammed Yerima, said on Tuesday that Jonathan had ordered for the
military mission in Mali.
Yerima had said at a news conference
that the first batch would leave the country for Mali on Wednesday
while “the remainder would be deployed later.”
The troops moved in a convoy from Abuja to Kaduna where they were airlifted with C130 military aircraft.
Investigations revealed that the Air Force is using one of its most reliable fighter jets, “The Alpha Jet,” for the operation.
The Alpha jet played a crucial role in the Air Force involvement in the ECOMOG activities in Liberia.
It was learnt that an unspecified number of the Alpha jets took off from their base at Kainji, Niger State on Thursday.
Earlier on Thursday, the British international news agency, Reuters,
had reported that the first batch of the Nigerian troops was expected
to join ground combat at a border town called Banamba, close to
Bamako.
“Banamba is in a state of alert.
Reinforcements have been sent. Nigerian troops expected to arrive in
Bamako could be deployed there to secure the zone,” a senior Malian
security source was quoted as saying.
The Malian army was reported to have
rushed reinforcements to Banamba after the rebels were spotted near the
border with Mauritania.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Air Force has
assured that its troops would remain in Mali until they accomplished
the mission of bringing peace to the area.
The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal
Alex Badeh, gave the assurance after addressing 66 operatives of the
outfit, who were among the troops airlifted to Mali on Thursday.
Badeh expressed optimism that men of the
NAF were going to Mali to do the country proud, adding that the
objective of bringing peace to the country was in compliance with
Jonathan’s directive.
He said, “ We (Air Force) will remain in
Mali until our goal is achieved. The Air Force would airlift more of
its men from Kaduna and some other parts of the country for the foreign
operation.”
On Thursday, the United States,
Canada and the European Union pledged their support to Nigeria and
France for deploying troops in Mali.
This was contained in a statement by the
Spokesman for the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Ogbole
Ode, in Abuja on Thursday.
The statement said that heads of mission
from the four countries made the pledge when the Minister of Foreign
Affairs, Gbenga Ashiru, briefed them on the update of troops
deployment under the auspices of the ECOWAS African-led AFISMA.
They advised that the military strategy
should also be pursued along with the political process, which should
involve various parties in Mali.
The statement said that Ashiru informed
the envoys that the crisis in Mali was an issue of deep concern not only
to West Africa but to Africa, Europe and the rest of the world.
“It is against this backdrop that the
military operations by the French to dislodge Islamic militants and to
regain northern Mali deserve the unflinching support of the
international community,’’ the statement explained.
It noted the uncommon international
unanimity and endorsement that had greeted the military intervention by
France, arising from the adoption of the United Nations Security
Council Resolution 2085.
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