BOKO HARAM LATEST: Army trains 439 soldiers on anti-terrorism tactics

Four hundred and thirty nine (439) Officers and Soldiers in the Nigerian Army have received training in various anti-terrorism strategies. It involves detection of Improvised Explosive Devices (IED), manning of road blocks, presentation on the dynamics of terrorism and insurgency as they relate to the nefarious activities of the much-dreaded Muslim Fundamentalists sect, Boko Haram. The Army personnel, who were drawn from 1Div, Kaduna, 2Div, Ibadan, 3Div, Jos, 81 Div, Lagos and 82 Div, Enugu as well as the Army Corp of Military Police and Guard Brigade underwent three weeks training of various tactical techniques in an effort to combat terrorism and insurgency in the country. Speaking at the graduation ceremony of Quick Response Group batch 8/12 in Jaji near Kaduna, the Commandant of the Counter Insurgency and Counter Terrorism Center, (CTCOIN), Brigadier General Tijjani Golau said the trainees went through a three week training which included identification of IEDs, cordon and search techniques, search and arrest procedures for suspects, information and intelligence gathering techniques, rescue operations, patrol, raids as well fighting in built-up areas. On the whole, he said, “the graduating participants are eminently qualified and could be deployed to carry out counter terrorism and counter insurgency task in any part of the country.” Golau said the participants had acquired requisite skills to enhance their performance in assigned tasks as members of the quick response group. “Their training was very compact and intensive for three weeks and graduants have made the mandatory requirements as members of the Quick Response Group in the Nigerian Army. “They are therefore qualified to carry out quick reaction tasks as may be required by their respective units and formations, “ he said. He said the participants were under the eight batch in the series of the counter terrorists trained by the centre, where more than 3,000 police personnel and several others including the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corp (NSCDC) had been trained. The Commandant urged the graduants to put to practice what they learnt from the training to contribute in tackling the nation's current security challenges. In his remarks, the Commandant of the Nigerian Army School of Infantry (NASI), Major General Kenneth Osuji emphasized his satisfaction with the training that has benn given to the men by the instructors in the center. “We are satisfied that we have done our own job here by training you to be able to detect Improvised Explosive Device (IED), man road blocks and the rest, it is now left to you when you go out to the field to behave in a professional manner. “It is through your efforts that we hope the issue of insurgency and terrorism will be efficiently and effectively defeated that is why apart from the training we have given you, we have also made available some necessary tools that will guide you some of which will be given to you when eventually you are deployed in the field,' he maintained. He said some of the tools that would be given to the graduating soldiers included equipment for detection of IED, night vision goggles and the rest of them, adding “terrorism and insurgency are not defeated by noise making or shouting.” “We want to get good reports from the field and we don’t want to hear reports of you doing things that we did not teach you at the center like soliciting gratification from motorist at check points, we never taught you that here and that should not be part of you. “Am very pleased with the level of courage and enthusiasm you have exhibited today especially during your demonstration as it is a clear evidence of the fact that you have learnt a lot while at the center and your courage has been developed,” he said.