Some military commanders engaged in the fight against Boko
Haram say the Nigerian army uses outdated weapons to fight the insurgents who
often deploy sophisticated weapons during battle.
The weapons used by the troops are said to be from the
Soviet Union era, and some were procured during the era of former president
Shehu Shagari, which was between 1979 and 1983.
In 2018, TheCable investigated how soldiers deployed to
fight Boko Haram wear slippers to the battlefront, beg for food, and sleep in
classrooms.
This is despite the federal government’s allocation of over
N3.77trillion to the ministry of defence in the past 10 years.
According to the PUNCH, the commanders who spoke on
condition of anonymity, said the lack of sophisticated weapons has exposed
Nigerian troops at the battlefront to attacks by the insurgents, especially
ISWAP fighters.
One of the commanders said the troops still use shilka guns
acquired during the era of Shagari.
“The Shilka guns were acquired under Shagari’s government.
We have many of them but they are outdated, so they were refurbished, even
though a lot of their components are missing. However, they were deployed in
the North-East for the anti-insurgency war like that, hence they fail during
battles,” he said.
“Recently, Boko Haram even stole one from the troops. So,
while we are battling with the refurbished Shilka, ISWAP fighters deploy the
latest technology to attack us, and you know the President said a week ago at
an ECOWAS meeting that how the terrorists deploy more sophisticated weapons is
a matter of concern.”
Another commander said the troops used to have in their
inventory Tank 72, also known as T-72, which was made in Russia and
manufactured in 1971 but sold out in 1972.
He said T-72, which are Soviet-era tanks, were acquired
during the regime of former president Goodluck Jonathan.
“They were procured by former President Goodluck Jonathan’s
administration towards the 2015 elections and they were used to capture lost
territories, but unfortunately, the tanks came without spare parts,” he said.
“From time to time, we cannibalised one to fix another until
they broke down and they were withdrawn from operations because there were no
spare parts. What we have now is called
Vickers MBT (Vickers Main Battle Tanks).
“They are even older than the T-72. So, as I’m talking to
you, Shilka is what we have and the outdated guns we were supplied with and
that is why the insurgents seem to be having the upper hand. The equipment is
really outdated.”
Boko Haram has launched daring attacks on both the military
and civilians.
President Muhammadu Buhari had told West African leaders
during the extraordinary summit of ECOWAS heads of state and government on
counter-terrorism, that the ease with which terrorist groups, including Boko
Haram, access funds and acquire sophisticated weapons is a serious concern.
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