Military is fighting terrorism with caution -- Minimah The Chief of Army Staff , Lt.-Gen. Kenneth Minimah, said on Monday the military was exercising caution in its anti-terrorism operations to avoid killing innocent Nigerians. Minimah said this at the opening of the Chief of Army Staff Quarterly Conference in Abuja. He explained that the war against terrorism was not a conventional war saying that the Nigerian Army ``is conventional and regular”. ``We are also now fighting terrorism; the terrorist is someone you dont know. ``It may be someone who sold food or fruit to you in the morning, by the evening he is a terrorist ``Now, we are having all that in interplay in the battle fronts in the North-East; we have to be cautious to separate the terrorists from the law-abiding citizens. ``We also have human rights to protect. Because you just dont go out and start killing people that they are terrorists. ``Some are innocent Nigerians; we are bound by all the international treaties of the human rights, and therefore we need time. `` I know the expectations of the Nigerian citizens are that this thing should be over by yesterday. ``But the reality is that it would not have been over by yesterday because of the structure and dynamics of fighting this type of terrorism.’’ Minimah, however, appealed for the support of all, including the media, saying that the army needed time and patience for the terrorists to be defeated. According to him, the army has enough equipment to fight the war as the Federal Government is also introducing newer equipment to the military to fight the war. Minimah also called for the need to address the rising acts of indiscipline and unprofessional conduct by troops. On indiscipline, he noted that the recent near mutinous act in Maiduguri and reported destruction of public property in Lagos readily came to mind. While explaining the incident in Lagos, he said that a soldier was killed by a BRT vehicle and as the late soldier and the BRT were removed hoodlums, vandals and hooligans took over and burnt government property.
Posted on: Tue, 15 Jul 2014 09:29:25 +0000
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