President Goodluck Jonathan says fighters from insurgent
group Boko Haram have traveled to the Middle East for training with Islamic
State militants.
Jonathan declined to name the countries where the fighters
were allegedly trained. But in an interview with VOA on Wednesday, he said he’s
long suspected Boko Haram of having alliances with international extremist
groups.
“So, we know the links are there. But even now, we may not know
the degree of linkages as to how much funds are coming in from them, the kind
of volume of weapons coming in from them, the nationalities coming from them,”
Jonathan said.
“But the training, because some of the Boko Haram members go
to have their training in the ISIS camp and come back,” he added
In the interview, Jonathan credited both the intervention of
Nigeria’s neighbours as well as the acquisition of new weapons for turning the
tide against the militants.
He hit back at criticisms that foreign troops aren’t being
allowed to push into Boko Haram strongholds deep in Nigerian territory. He said
Cameroon previously denied Nigeria permission to pursue Boko Haram into its
territory, and added that restrictions on foreign troops were matters of
coordination.
“I think the idea is that look, for any major aggression, we
should know. Where possible, let some Nigerian soldiers also be with you,” the
President said.
He also said that foreign technicians are present in the
northeast to teach Nigerian troops on how to use their new weapons, since there
wasn’t time to train the troops before they were deployed.
“So we now have this technical people who are trainers and
technicians, who are to train our people on how to use them, and technicians
that help the maintenance, at the same time training our people how to maintain
this equipment,” Jonathan said.
He said two unnamed companies were involved in the training
but declined to offer nationalities or numbers of the trainers.
Jonathan dismissed the suggestion that Boko Haram’s
insurgency had come to define his time in office.
“Yes, it’s a major security issue, it’s the number one
security issue we have as a nation. But definitely, you cannot define us by
Boko Haram,” he said.
As the multinational offensive continues, Jonathan predicted
that the northeastern states of Yobe and Adamawa would be cleared of Boko Haram
territory before the middle of next week. He said he hopes neighbouring Borno
State, where the group started, will be cleared in the next three weeks.
But Jonathan said he expects Boko Haram to continue bombing
markets and bus stops. He says the government’s strategy is to improve
intelligence gathering as well as job and educational prospects in the
northeast as a long-term strategy to destroy the group.
Copyright PUNCH.
Comments
Post a Comment