Boko Haram, others get weapons, recruits through porous borders – Army

The Commander of the Division Intelligence Command (DIC) of the Nigerian Army’s 1 Division, Kaduna, Colonel Al-Amin Abubakar Garba, has identified porous borders and weak security system as routes through which Boko Haram and other criminal groups get arms supply.

Colonel Garba spoke at the 11 Field Engineer Regiment, Basawa Barracks, Zaria, during the 41 Division Engineers Training Day organised for Engineer Officers and Senior Non-Commissioned Officers.

He said the porous Nigeria’s frontiers make it difficult to track movement of illegal arms and immigrants, hence the proliferation of weapons among criminal groups.

“The porosity of Nigeria’s borders has serious security implications for the country. The illegal migrants, who are mostly young men, are some of the perpetrators of crime in the country. For instance, most of the arrested persons committing one crime or the other were found to be foreigners,” Colonel Garba said.

He identified visionary detribalized leadership, socioeconomic development and elimination of corruption as some of the factors that would assist Nigeria to overcome it security challenges.

In his address, the host of the exercise, the Commander of the 41 Division, Brigadier General Sagir Yaro, said security threats in Nigeria calls for regular training by security agencies.

“This consideration among others informed this training day with the theme ‘Enhancing Military Operations Capacity in Contemporary Security Environment.’ The training is aimed at enhancing capacity of junior officers and SNCOs in the formation in discharging their primary responsibilities in the face of the current security challenges,” General Yaro said.

The Commandant of the 11 Field Engineer Regiment, Lt Colonel Obinna Ugochukwu Eke, said at the end of the exercise, the officers would be more combatant ready.