Federal Government sets up military highway patrol
The Federal Government has taken more measures to confront head-on the threat to peace and security in the country by Boko Haram, the militant Islamic sect that has been waging a terror campaign on Nigeria since 2009.
The military high command had commenced the training of personnel of military and other security agencies in readiness for the performance of their security responsibilities in 2012.
Already, soldiers drawn from military formations across the country have been assembled for an intensive training programme at the Command and Staff College, Jaji (near Zaria), Kaduna State.
The special forces would be deployed in all the 36 states of the federation to boost the internal security arrangement in the country.
The soldiers and officers undergoing training would be deployed to undertake highway patrol activities throughout the country.
The reason for training the soldiers was not just because of the challenge posed by the Boko Haram Islamic sect, but also other threats to security.
This set of military personnel would have a wider scope of operations than the Joint Task Force as they are expected to fight crimes such as armed robbery, kidnapping and other violent acts that constitute threat to peace and security.
It was, however, not clear whether the soldiers would work alongside the police since the police have their own highway patrol.
The officers are drawn from different army formations and they are to be deployed in all the 36 states of the federation for highway patrol duties.
The Chief of Army Staff, Liutenant-General Azubuike Ihejirika, had said at a security awareness workshop organised by the Nigerian Army in Abuja that one of the strategies being put in place to stem the terror attacks in the country was the establishment of a special squad of well-trained and equipped officers to respond adequately to the sectarian insurrection in the North.
The army chief explained that the new squad was meant to complement the efforts of the men of the JTF involved in internal security operations in the North-East.
He said that the new moves by the army leadership were informed by the need to put the security operatives in a vantage position to respond adequately to the security challenges facing the country.
But the Director of Army Public Relations, Major-General Raphael Isah, said the squad members would not necessarily be deployed in the 36 states of the federation for highway patrol.
He admitted however that they were a quick response squad that would carry out patrol duties in some select locations across the country.
Isah said they would not be deployed in the 36 states of the federation as they would not have any permanent location.
He stated the duties of the new squad and the men of the Police Highway Patrol team already existing across Nigeria would not conflict.
He said the special squad would complement the efforts of the police, stressing that security operatives were knowledgeable enough to prevent clashes of functions.
Meanwhile the Federal Government is devoting serious attention to the purchase of equipment that would aid intelligence operations in 2012.
A lot of modern security equipment running into millions of naira that are considered strategic in the bid to strengthen intelligence gathering in the security agencies will be acquired.
Among some of the equipment listed in the budget is the installation of a cell-phone location tracking system (Lawful Location) in Abuja and other cities at the cost of N1.3bn.
The equipment is considered crucial to the tracking of people with nefarious intents on a mission to cause security breaches in the country.
The FG is also acquiring what is known in security parlance as a counter-surveillance jammer for Abuja and other cities.
Also gadgets directly relating to the current security challenges facing Nigeria are the advance explosive detectors at the rate of N2bn; forensic laboratory (N2bn); satellite monitoring system (N1.5bn); tactical information system using vehicles (1bn); anti-bomb blanket and back-starters (N1bn); arms and ammunition (N.5bn); communications and technical equipment and closed circuit television systems at N1.2bn, among others.
Although Boko Haram had been in existence since 2002, the Islamic organisation stepped up its terror campaign in the early part of this year, successfully bombing the Force Headquarters of the Nigeria Police last June, and the United Nations HQ in Abuja last August.
However, the most hit city has been Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, where the organisation is said to have taken off through Malam Yusuf Mohammed in 2002.
Other cities under attack include Damaturu (Yobe State), Kaduna and Kano.
The Federal Government has taken more measures to confront head-on the threat to peace and security in the country by Boko Haram, the militant Islamic sect that has been waging a terror campaign on Nigeria since 2009.
The military high command had commenced the training of personnel of military and other security agencies in readiness for the performance of their security responsibilities in 2012.
Already, soldiers drawn from military formations across the country have been assembled for an intensive training programme at the Command and Staff College, Jaji (near Zaria), Kaduna State.
The special forces would be deployed in all the 36 states of the federation to boost the internal security arrangement in the country.
The soldiers and officers undergoing training would be deployed to undertake highway patrol activities throughout the country.
The reason for training the soldiers was not just because of the challenge posed by the Boko Haram Islamic sect, but also other threats to security.
This set of military personnel would have a wider scope of operations than the Joint Task Force as they are expected to fight crimes such as armed robbery, kidnapping and other violent acts that constitute threat to peace and security.
It was, however, not clear whether the soldiers would work alongside the police since the police have their own highway patrol.
The officers are drawn from different army formations and they are to be deployed in all the 36 states of the federation for highway patrol duties.
The Chief of Army Staff, Liutenant-General Azubuike Ihejirika, had said at a security awareness workshop organised by the Nigerian Army in Abuja that one of the strategies being put in place to stem the terror attacks in the country was the establishment of a special squad of well-trained and equipped officers to respond adequately to the sectarian insurrection in the North.
The army chief explained that the new squad was meant to complement the efforts of the men of the JTF involved in internal security operations in the North-East.
He said that the new moves by the army leadership were informed by the need to put the security operatives in a vantage position to respond adequately to the security challenges facing the country.
But the Director of Army Public Relations, Major-General Raphael Isah, said the squad members would not necessarily be deployed in the 36 states of the federation for highway patrol.
He admitted however that they were a quick response squad that would carry out patrol duties in some select locations across the country.
Isah said they would not be deployed in the 36 states of the federation as they would not have any permanent location.
He stated the duties of the new squad and the men of the Police Highway Patrol team already existing across Nigeria would not conflict.
He said the special squad would complement the efforts of the police, stressing that security operatives were knowledgeable enough to prevent clashes of functions.
Meanwhile the Federal Government is devoting serious attention to the purchase of equipment that would aid intelligence operations in 2012.
A lot of modern security equipment running into millions of naira that are considered strategic in the bid to strengthen intelligence gathering in the security agencies will be acquired.
Among some of the equipment listed in the budget is the installation of a cell-phone location tracking system (Lawful Location) in Abuja and other cities at the cost of N1.3bn.
The equipment is considered crucial to the tracking of people with nefarious intents on a mission to cause security breaches in the country.
The FG is also acquiring what is known in security parlance as a counter-surveillance jammer for Abuja and other cities.
Also gadgets directly relating to the current security challenges facing Nigeria are the advance explosive detectors at the rate of N2bn; forensic laboratory (N2bn); satellite monitoring system (N1.5bn); tactical information system using vehicles (1bn); anti-bomb blanket and back-starters (N1bn); arms and ammunition (N.5bn); communications and technical equipment and closed circuit television systems at N1.2bn, among others.
Although Boko Haram had been in existence since 2002, the Islamic organisation stepped up its terror campaign in the early part of this year, successfully bombing the Force Headquarters of the Nigeria Police last June, and the United Nations HQ in Abuja last August.
However, the most hit city has been Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, where the organisation is said to have taken off through Malam Yusuf Mohammed in 2002.
Other cities under attack include Damaturu (Yobe State), Kaduna and Kano.
No comments:
Post a Comment