The Chairman, Senate Committee on Army, Senator Ali Ndume, has said most of the weapons used by terrorists in the country were stolen from men of the Nigerian security forces.
Ndume, who is representing Borno South Senatorial District in the National Assembly, stated this on Thursday night while featuring on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ programme monitored by The PUNCH.
He said, “Most of the arms and ammunition they use are the ones they succeed in carting away from the Nigerian soldiers and other armed forces or security agencies.
“I know they have some small arms coming from up there like Libya, Chad, and all that but the bulk of the equipment they use are the ones they succeeded in stealing from our armed forces and this is what the armed forces are trying to guide against.”
Ndume also advocated more funding for the security forces to purchase superior weapons in order to effectively tackle the Boko Haram menace especially in the North-East.
The Senator said smaller neighbouring countries like Chad, amongst others, spend more on equipping their soldiers than Nigeria.
“Let’s give the Nigerian Army and armed forces what they need in order to end this insurgency and other forms of criminality within the shortest possible time. That way, you can call them in, give them timelines and if they don’t do it, you can show them the way out,” he said.
The PUNCH had earlier reported that Ndume asked the Federal Government to expose all the over 400 Bureau De Change operators recently arrested for allegedly funding the activities of Boko Haram insurgency in the country.
For more than 12 years now, Islamist terrorist sect, Boko Haram, continues to oppress the people of the North-East, gradually spreading its demonic tentacles to the North-West. While the Army and the Presidency keep claiming the group has been ‘technically defeated’ and ‘weakened’, the Abubakar Shekau’s bloodthirsty faction continues to strike with daring effrontery and crude savagery.
