The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Faruk Yahaya, says Nigerian troops will deal decisively with bandits. He charged cadets of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) 69 Regular Course to deploy acquired combat skills and competencies in tackling security challenges.

The COAS commended President Muhammadu Buhari for the confidence reposed in the army. He assured the president and Nigerians that the army, in synergy with other security agencies, would “speak to the insurgents and bandits in the language they understand.”

Mr Yahaya gave the charge during the Battle Inoculation phase of Exercise Camp Highland, which wrapped up final exercises for army cadets before passing out from NDA later in October.

Army spokesman, Onyema Nwachukwu, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday.

He expressed satisfaction with the level of training received by the cadets, saying there has been a remarkable improvement in the quality of their combat training due to a recent review of the academy’s training curriculum.

The COAS said the combat training was in tune with the army’s deliberate capacity development effort toward tackling contemporary security challenges.

He expressed optimism that the junior commanders would add value to ongoing operational efforts to restore peace and security in troubled parts of the country.

The commandant of NDA, Ibrahim Yusuf, described the exercise as a “baptism into battle,” saying the exercise was a culmination of five years of training for the cadets before graduation.

He said the exercise featured combat assault on simulated objects with live firing by combat teams of cadets, supported from the air to inject realism into the exercise. 

(NAN)