US now supplying weapons to Nigeria, says APC

The All Progressives Congress (APC) says the visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to the United States (US) in July is yielding results as the country is now providing military hardware to Nigeria’s military. 

The party also praised the Nigerian military for stepping up its effort in the fight against Boko Haram, saying the paradigm shift in the military’s approach to the battle against insurgency showed it was getting its groove back.

In a statement issued on Monday by Lai Mohammed, its spokesman, the party said the military is now taking the battle straight to the insurgents, instead of waiting for them to attack.

It described as refreshing and reassuring the fact that service chiefs had been visiting the theatre of the battle in the northeast, not only “to pep up the fighting men and women but also to meet with political and community leaders in the area”.

“The stepped-up fight against Boko Haram has convinced Nigerians that indeed their military is getting its groove back, and can beat the three-month deadline set by President Muhammadu Buhari for Boko Haram to be defeated,” it said.

“The renewed battle has also shown that President Buhari was right in directing the relocation of the military’s command and control centre from Abuja to Maiduguri.

“Watching the video clip of Nigerian air force jets pounding targets in Sambisa forest, which is the fortress of the insurgents, over the weekend arouses great pride in the military.

“Thanks to the purposeful leadership and political will provided by President Buhari, Nigerian neighbours are now ready to contribute their full quota to the battle, with the latest news indicating that Cameroon has decided to triple its initial troops contribution to the Multi-National Joint Task Force to reach 2,400 troops.

”Also, contrary to the lies being propagated by the naysayers, President Buhari’s visit to the US has reset Nigeria relations with that country to the level where much needed military hardware are now being sent to Nigeria to increase the country’s military firepower.”

The APC said: “while the military must sustain its ongoing efforts to further degrade the fighting ability of the insurgents, it was important for all Nigerians to continue to support the troops in every way possible so that the monsters who have killed and maimed at will in the past several years can be defeated once and for all.

”We have always believed that the Nigerian military, which has distinguished itself globally since its first participation in a UN peacekeeping mission in the Congo in 1960, has what it takes not only to protect and defend Nigeria’s territorial integrity but also to win even an asymmetrical warfare like the one against Boko Haram – under the right circumstances. We are glad that the military is now proving us right.”