Army seeks support of retired officers to tackle insecurity

The Nigerian army has sought the support of retired military officers in the fight against insecurity in the country.

Ibrahim Attahiru, chief of army staff, stated this at the first quarter 2021 veterans affairs directorate in Nigeria workshop, which took place in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital, on Tuesday.

Speaking at the workshop, Attahiru said the wealth of experience of the army veterans will be beneficial in addressing insecurity, despite being retired from active service.

The army chief, who was represented by Abdulrasheed Aliyu, head of administration, said the workshop was organised to prepare the veterans to play supportive role in the fight against insurgency, banditry and other violent crimes.

“We decided to engage them considering that Nigeria is currently faced with diverse security challenges, and everybody has a role to play toward securing the country,” he was quoted to have said by NAN.

“To this end, our retired and discharged personnel also have a role to play, especially at this time when our nation is faced with insecurity.

“So, this seminar seeks to tap into the wealth of experience of our retirees in tackling the nation’s diverse security challenges.

“It is also organised to prepare and strengthen the participants to play an important supporting role in curbing the spate of crime and criminality.”

On his part, Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers state, said the fight against insecurity cannot be left in the hands of only serving personnel.

Wike noted that there is a need for citizens to also help security agencies in the fight against insecurity.

“It is a known fact that veterans and legionnaires are force multipliers in most militaries, especially in areas such as information gathering,” he said.

“This is because fighting insecurity remains a collective responsibility that cannot be left for serving personnel alone.”