The Nigerian military high command, Friday in Abuja denied media reports that it has resorted to using mercenaries in the ongoing Counter-Terrorism and Counter-Insurgency (CT COIN) operations in the North-East in order to defeat Boko Haram terrorists by the December deadline.
This was contained in a statement by the Director of Defence Information (DDI), Col. Rabe Abubakar. “Insinuation and the entire story are utterly scurrilous and a calculated attempt to smear the good image of the Nigerian military”.
“The orchestrated campaign is aimed at rubbishing the efforts of the Nigerian Armed Forces and other security agencies who are working hard to contain the insurgencies in the North-East”.
Abubakar insisted that the military has enough trained soldiers to fight the terrorists in the North-East without resorting to the use of mercenaries.
He posited that the military has significantly up-scaled its troops and equipment deployment since the presidential mandate and does not need mercenaries whether foreign or local to rout and put an effective end to guerrilla movements in the North-East within the allotted time.
