TheCable

Ibrahim Attahiru, chief of army staff, says he will ensure that the army becomes a formidable force to tackle security threats in the country.

He stated this at the opening ceremony of the combined COAS first quarter conference and Nigerian army operations retreat, held in Abuja on Monday.

In a statement signed by Mohammed Yerima, army spokesman, Attahiru was quoted as saying his new philosophy on security will focus on repositioning troops across all “cardinal points” of the country to facilitate immediate and simultaneous responses to threats all over the nation.

“In line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s directives and my intent to rebuild the Nigerian army into a formidable force, I conceived the vision of having a Nigerian army that is repositioned to professionally defeat all adversaries in a joint environment,” he said

“To breathe life into this vision, I released my command philosophy which has readiness, capacity, continuous leadership development and duty to control as cardinal pillars.

“As I speak, we will soon be receiving combat enablers that would enhance and boost our operations. Concerted effort is also being made to eliminate the threat of improvised explosives devices which has been a major impediment to troops and operations in Operation Lafiya Dole.

“I have approved the purchase of spare parts and directed all damaged and serviceable equipment in the theatre to be back-loaded for immediate repairs. I want to assure you that I am determined to rebuild the fighting skills, capacity, confidence and moral of the troops.”

In January, Attahiru took over from Tukur Buratai as the chief of army staff, following the replacement of the service chiefs by President Muhammadu Buhari.