Battle Against Boko Haram Will Be Won – Chief Of Army Staff

The Nigerian Army High Command
yesterday declared that the battle
against Boko Haram and terrorism will
be won. It however urged the citizenry to
be patient as the development was a new
phenomenon whereas the army is a
conventionally trained force.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. General
Kenneth Minimah who spoke at the
opening of the COAS Third Quarterly
Conference in Abuja reminded Nigerians
expressing frustration over continued
terror attacks that the military cannot
just go about killing anybody simply
because there is suspicion of involvement
in terrorism.
“You see, the Nigerian Army is
performing and checking these
insurgents. I know the expectations of
the Nigerian citizens but the expectation
is rather too much in haste. We need
some time; we need patience and you
must know we are fighting terrorism. We
are not fighting a conventional war. The
Nigerian Army is a conventional and
regular army.
“The terrorist is someone you do not
know. It may be someone who sold food
or fruit to you in the morning and by
the afternoon he is the terrorist. We are
having all that inter-play in the battle
front in the North-East. We have to be
conscious to separate the terrorists from
the law abiding citizens and we also have
human rights to protect.
“You just do not go out killing people,
that they are terrorists. Some are
innocent Nigerians. We are also bound by
all the international treaties on human
rights, therefore, we need time. I know
the expectations of the Nigerian citizens
is that this thing should be over by
yesterday, but the reality is that it would
not have been over by yesterday because
of the structure and dynamics of
fighting this type of terrorism.
“We are fighting Nigerian citizens, we
are not fighting foreigners; so caution
must be exercised. I appeal and assure
that we will certainly surmount it but we
also need support from the nation, from
all segments of society and from the
people including the media. And we need
patience and time for us to do it. We
also have the equipment and the federal
government is introducing fresh and
newer equipment to us which in a short
while hopefully be there for use,” he
said.