Chief of the Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Kenneth Minimah, says the army would soon end the Boko Haram insurgency in the northern part of the country as soon as the new military hardware arrive.
Speaking at the 2 Brigade barracks, Port Harcourt, Minimah said the Federal Government had placed orders for military hardware, adding that when they arrive, soldiers would launch offensive against Boko Haram to bring its activities to an end.
“The Federal Government has placed orders for equipment. As soon as they come in, we will launch a major offensive that will bring the madness, insurgency to an end, he said.
According to him, the army was making significant impact in the war against crude oil theft.
“Our effort is ongoing, the bunkerers themselves are human, they are not ghosts. So while we are doing our best, they are devising news ways. But you will agree with me that the effort to checking this menace is more than ever. We can’t say we will stamp it out in one day, but then the greater part of pursuing the bunkerers is on-going and that with time we will begin to see greater result.”, he said.
When asked to speak on military presence was relevant during elections inspite of criticisms from some quarters, the COAS said, “I can’t answer that question because that is not why I have come here”.
But the Governor Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State urged the visiting Chief of the Army Staff to seek for less visibility of the army during elections in the country, as he equally called on the army to assist the state in the fight against kidnapping.
The governor spoke when Minimah led top army officers on a courtesy visit to him at Government House, Port Harcourt.
“The military needs to play lesser role in politics. I have said that severally. I am sure you will ensure that the relationship between the military, civilians and politicians is cordial, such that the 2015 elections would not be controversial.
“I want the 2nd Amphibious Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Bori Camp to work with us, because we need to stamp out kidnapping in Rivers State. There are competing economies in the country and the largest of all is Lagos while the second is Rivers State and if kidnapping continues, our economy will crash, unemployment will rise and we may not be able to compete with the comity of states,” Amaechi said.
