Bravo: Uk Tells Nigerian Armed Forces Over Boko Haram
SAN FRANCISCO, September 24, (THEWILL) – The United Kingdom has commended men of the Nigerian armed forces over the successes recorded so far in tackling the Boko Haram insurgency in the North East.
This came from the United Kingdom Assistant Chief of Defence Staff, Rear Admiral Simon James Ancona, who he led a delegation of the UK Ministry of Defence and Engagement on a courtesy visit to the Nigeria Chief of Defence Staff, General Gabriel Olonisakin.
Ancona, in his speech, declared that the way the military subdued the terrorists has put the Nigerian Armed Forces and the nation in general on a positive radar of the global assessment index adding that the delegation was in Nigeria as a follow-up to a variety of regional and global security matters discussed earlier in the year at a Peace Keeping Conference held in the UK.
He commended the military and allied security agencies for the doggedness and sacrifice with a promise to collaborate with Nigeria towards strengthening the capacity of the Nigerian military to be more potent and responsive in the discharge of their mandate.
Ancona, who joined the Royal Navy in 1980 and rose to become a recipient of the Commander of the British Empire (CBE) title, was pleased with the leadership of the armed forces that have led to the decimation of the terrorist group and called for sustenance of the onslaught to wipe out the insurgents.
He said that the visit would further strengthen and improve the historic and harmonious bilateral relationships between the two great nations, assuring the CDS that the British contingent in Nigeria would always abide with extant rules and operations mandate of troops in Nigeria.
In his response, General Olonisakin expressed his profound gratitude to the UK Government for all the assistance the Nigerian Armed Forces have enjoyed from the UK.
He however solicited for stronger ties in intelligence sharing, military hardware, manpower capacity building and training in use of counter Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and Deep Penetration Detection Devices (DPDDs).
Story by David Oputah