Nigeria relying on you to completely defeat banditry, defence minister tells troops

Bashir Magashi, minister of defence, has asked officers of the Nigerian Army to do more to “completely defeat” banditry and insurgency.

Magashi said this on Thursday during the decoration of senior military officers, at a ceremony held at the army headquarters in Abuja.

According to a statement by Onyema Nwachukwu, army spokesman, the minister also urged the officers to remain loyal to the constitution and “discharge their duties professionally”.

While describing their elevation “as a recognition for their diligence and selfless sacrifices”, he added that the country relies “on their wealth of knowledge, character and professionalism to develop an enduring panacea that will completely defeat insurgency, banditry and other forms of criminality in the country”.

He also assured the army of the continuous support of the federal government “especially in the acquisition of military hardware to facilitate the conduct of its operations across the country”.

On his part, Faruk Yahaya, chief of army staff, “urged them to remain focused in their effort to ensure peace and security across the country”.

Also present at the event included Godwin Obaseki, governor of Edo; Ali Ndume, chairman of the senate committee on army; Abdulrazak Namdas, chairman, house committee on army; Tukur Burutai, Nigerian ambassador to the Republic of Benin and former chief of army staff, among others.