Army upgrade Intelligence corps to tackle insurgence

Source: huhuonline.com

The Nigerian Army has announced the upgrading of the operational status of the Nigerian Army Intelligence Corps ,NAIC,in an effort to curb insurgents in the country.By the upgrading the Corps is now rated as the sixth in the Nigerian Army

hierarchy and is equally transformed from a Combat Support Service into a Combat Support Arm of the Nigerian Army.

The step is in line with the renewed efforts of the present Command of the Nigerian Army to forge ahead with the transformation agenda of the government and is also in a bid to underscore the application of intelligence to brace up with the security challenges.

The upgrading is largely considered as a remarkable booster to the fight against terrorism which is purely intelligence and information-driven. NAIC is statutorily saddled with the responsibility of providing operational and strategic intelligence in support of all operations.

The Chief of Defence Intelligence, Major General Sani Yusuf Audu, who unveiled the new hierarchy of Arms number '60' for the Corps during the third NAIC Quarterly Conference 2012 today, said the Corps was being repositioned in line with the transformation of the entire Nigerian Army. General Audu expressed appreciation to the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Onyeabo Ihejirika, for approving the repositioning of the corps which he said would 'encourage the Corps to do better.'

In line with this change, the Corps is seen as having been properly positioned in line with global best practice by which it is rated as part of the Combat Support Arm and is expected to play a more robust role in intelligence gathering which has been identified as being very pivotal in the successful performance of operational tasks. By the new development, the hierarchy of the Nigerian Army Combat Arms now reads from the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps, the Armoured Corps, the Artillery, Engineers, Signals and then the Nigerian Army Intelligence Corps. However, the Corps Commander is to retain his appellation of Director of Military Intelligence (DMI).

With the significant role of the Nigerian Army in the effort to contain the current security crises in the country, the repositioning of the intelligence corps is considered most appropriate to ensure its optimal performance. The intelligence collections on the adversary's plans, activities, tactics and the totality of strategies collated and analysed are known to be critical elements in attaining success in any operations

The Nigerian Army Intelligence Corps which created in the 60s played significant roles during the civil war.