Nigerian
soldiers in their numbers have fallen to the dreaded terrorist group,
Boko Haram owing to the reasons as revealed by a reliable source.
Late
Nigerian soldier Victor Ilo holding an often jam prone 1946 made
Alexander Kalashnikov considered outdated for modern warfare
A journalist who is also the State Coordinator of Social Welfare
Network Initiative, Jack Vince who champions the cause for the freedom
of most northern states held under siege by Boko Haram terrorists, has
brought to fore the shocking condition Nigerian soldiers fighting in the
region face.
This it is believed is why the country is losing more soldiers to the war against terrorism.
According to the Vince, for "Nigerian troops in northern Borno,
ordinary pure water is a luxury. They resort to drinking the potash
(kanwa) filled water from wells or 'rivers'."
Vince was forced to speak out about the sorry condition of the
soldiers following the death of Lt Col. Muhammadu Abu Ali who was killed
by Boko Haram terrorists during an ambush on Friday in Borno state.
While writing on the need for the government to adequately provide
for the soldiers, he revealed some shocking details and hardship the
troops are facing in the north east.
"Now that it is quite incontrovertible that terrorism has
become an integral part of the system, seven uninterrupted years of arms
confrontation between the state and the outlaws is enough time for
security operatives to have had the requisite experience. Experience in
terms of the right weapons, strategy, technology, intelligence and all
it takes to significantly decimate the terrorists in truth and not
through propaganda and press releases.
"I have said this before; for the umpteenth time, I'll say it
again. All units across military formations in Nigeria need to have at
least 20 personnel trained abroad and effectively kitted as special
forces to bring Boko Haram to its knees. The last set of special forces
were trained by the last administration. The present administration must
do the same or even more, if we genuinely desire to combat terrorism.
"Also, soldiers need to have their morale boosted by adequate
provision of welfare packages, they need to be sensitized and made to
feel like lions conquering the jungles of terrorism, they deserve to be
adequately and effectively provided with ammunitions, new or functional
assault weapons (AKs) with bayonets, personal pistols, combat knives,
several pairs of uniforms, boots and helmets, military bulletproof
jackets, night vision goggles, general purpose machine guns (GPMGs),
rocket propelled grenades (RPGs), anti aircraft (AA) weapons, armoured
personnel carriers (APCs), mine-resistant ambush protected (MRAP)
military vehicles, artillery, and combat aircraft.
"Government can not continue to send our soldiers to battle
fronts with infinitesimally little or absolutely inadequate fighting
equipment." Vince wrote.
He added: "American soldiers once refused to advance in battle
because they noticed that chocolate was missing in their rations. To the
Nigerian troops in northern Borno, ordinary pure water is a luxury.
They resort to drinking the potash (kanwa) filled water from wells or
'rivers'."
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