TheCable

Tukur Buratai, chief of army staff, has asked members of the special forces deployed in Katsina state not to relent in their fight against banditry, saying they have no excuse for failure.

Speaking during a dinner with members of the special forces on Sunday, Buratai said the army is ready to address challenges being faced by the forces.

He added that additional weapons, equipment, and manpower would be added to support the fight against banditry.

“This type of conflict is very fluid. It is unpredictable. In this context, the best approach is to approach the adversaries with special forces,” he said.

“That is why you received special training. You know the terrain is very wide and the task challenging. But you have a very sacred responsibility to our nation to safeguard it and her people.

“You have no excuse for failure. You are professionals in your field. We are hopeful that the security challenges will soon be over. Whatever challenges you have, we shall address them.

“We are bringing additional weapons; we are bringing additional platforms and we are bringing additional men. In fact, some of the equipment has arrived in Bauchi while some are even here already. Some of you may be moved to other locations to get things right there.”

He asked the soldiers not to be discouraged by negative propaganda but to commit to ensuring that the country is safe.

He said: “We want normalisation of activities. The president and commander in chief has expressed concern that farmers may not be able to go to farms this raining season because of activities of bandits but we have assured him that farmers will return to their farms very soon.

“It is the desire of the president and that of every Nigerian to have a peaceful country.

“Do not be influenced by people with negative tendencies. Your loyalty must be to the country and the commander in chief. Do not be distracted by negative propaganda through social media.”