The Defence Headquarters has come down hard on those suggesting that the military hired mercenaries from South Africa to prosecute the war on Boko Haram insurgency.
According to a statement by the acting Defence spokesperson, Col. Rabe Abubakar, the reports making the rounds were nothing more than desperate attempts to tarnish the image of the military.
Abubakar described the reports as “scurrilous” and “a calculated attempt to smear the good image of the Nigerian military.”
“The insinuation and the entire story are utterly scurrilous and a calculated attempt to smear the good image of the Nigerian military.
“The orchestrated campaign is aimed at rubbishing the efforts of the Nigerian Armed Forces and other security agencies who are working hard to contain the insurgency in the North-East,” he stated.
He took a swipe at insinuations that the military were incapable of executing the war on terror without resorting to hiring mercenaries and foreign soldiers, stating that the Nigerian military had enough trained and qualified personnel to emerge victorious in the war on terror.
Furthermore, he averred that the spurious claims were the handiwork of those bent on turning Nigerians against the military.
While reiterating the military’s capability to meet the December deadline by President Muhammadu Buhari to bring an end to the Boko Haram insurgency ravaging the North East geopolitical zone, Abubakar noted: “Also, the military has significantly up-scaled its troops and equipment deployment since the Presidential mandate and does not need mercenaries whether foreign or local to rout out and put an effective end to guerrilla movements in the North-East within the allotted time.
“Since the Presidential order, the military has been fighting the insurgents more and more effectively and all Nigerians, irrespective of where they live, have come to understand that we are making progress.”
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