Following allegations of lack of equipment to fight Boko Haram, the immediate past National Security Adviser Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) on Thursday said the government of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan bought sophisticated equipment in the last one year to fight insurgents in the Northeast.
He said the weapons assisted the military to recover many local governments that were occupied by insurgents.
He also said the acquisition of the equipment checkmated Boko Haram leader, Imam Abubakar Shekau from disrupting the March general election.
He made the clarifications in an interview with PRNigeria, which is an undercover and alternative channel of communication by the military, against the backdrop of alleged neglect of the military by ex-President Jonathan.
A former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, had at his Pulling-Out Parade complained about lack of equipment to fight Boko Haram during his tenure.
The immediate past Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Kenneth Minimah, on Wednesday expressed regrets that the nation toyed with the health and vitality of the military through inadequate funding.
He appealed to the government to create the right environment for recruitment, training, equipping and kitting of military personnel in the country.
Dasuki listed some of the military equipment as Alpha jets, APCs, MRAP vehicles, advanced artillery pieces, assorted arms and ammunitions, highly sophisticated surveillance drones, T72 and carried out modification of F7 supersonic jet fighters.
Dasuki said: “The armored tanks have comprehensive Nuclear, Biological, Chemical (NBC) protection/sensor system, just as we deployed Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles that we bought and could withstand Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attacks and ambushes. The vehicles had protected our troops from threats.
“We are glad that we also provided assorted Armoured Personnel Carriers to transport troops to the battlefield. They are armed for self-defence and to provide protection from attacks from shrapnel and small arms fire.
“All these were acquired in the last one year after years of frustration by Western powers who denied us of the equipment and sabotage our efforts to acquire same from other sources which are reasons for some delay in delivery.”
In spite of criticisms, he insisted that the equipment assisted in “curtailing Boko Haram.”
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