Army to fight Boko Haram with dogs

By The Nation: Tony Akowe, Kaduna 

 

 Lt.-Gen. Azubike Ihejirika

The Army is set to unleash its trained dogs on members of the Boko Haram sect. The move is part of its anti-terrorism tactics, the Army high command has said. 
A special squad has been trained to use the dogs to battle the insurgents.
The Chief of Staff, Lt.-Gen. Azubike Ihejirika spoke in Kaduna at the maiden edition of the Commanding Officers’ workshop. 
The Army said it would soon inaugurate 14 speed boats to fight militants in the Niger Delta.
Ihejirika said: “On April 19, we will commission about 14 boats that have been recovered and refurbished for the use of troops in the Niger Delta area.”
He said the measures are aimed at ridding the country of terrorism.
The Army chief urged military personnel to be combat ready at all times. 
According to him, a situation where the Boko Haram sect engages the Army at a check point without much resistance is unacceptable.
He said there is need for Commanding Officers to be innovative in tackling the worsening state of insecurity, adding that the theme of the workshop was carefully chosen to remind the officers of the importance of military professionalism in dealing with challenges facing the nation and the world at large, especially terrorism, small arms proliferation and other related crimes. 
He announced that the second batch of special squad trainees on the use of dogs to fight Boko Haram and other terrorism groups in the country had just completed their training and would soon complement the efforts of the existing troops battling terrorism. The Army Chief commended the officers and men of the One Division of the Nigerian Army for their efforts so far in ensuring the security of lives and property of the citizens in the Northwest and Northeast geo-political zones of the country, pointing out that they must not rest on their oars until the war against terrorism is won.
“It is high time for you and your men to be in the war mood to be able to deal with the current challenges. Otherwise, how do you explain that troops on check point duty would be attacked by these decadence? And they sometimes do that and get away with it. This is an area you must work on.
“As you are out in the field at every point in time, make sure you are either conducting an operation or you are gathering intelligence. You must be doing one of the two at any point in time. If your area is too quiet, you have a reason to get worried.
“We believe that how your troops perform is a direct reflection of the qualities of their Commanding Officers. That is why you are assembled here for the next four days to brainstorm on matters of service interest in order to improve and sharpen your professional skills.
“We chose One Division to underscore the importance of the current operation of 1 and 3 Division troops. I am happy to note the numerous achievements of the Divisions since the first bomb attack of this headquarters and the attacks on Kano. But you will all agree with me
that a lot still needs to be done to make our society secure.
“Let me stress that the challenges confronting the nation and indeed the Army are well known to all of us. The constitutional provision and the directive of Mr. President and Commander-in-Chief of Armed Forces for the Nigerian Army to work with other civil authorities to secure every part of this country are also well known.”