Be Tough On Criminals, Chief Of Army Staff Tells Special Forces

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya, has charged the newly inducted 699 Special Forces personnel of ‘Exercise Restore Hope II’ to be brutal and merciless against criminal elements threatening the peace and stability of the country.

Addressing the troops at the Nigerian Army Training Camp in Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State, the COAS said the troops would be deployed to theatres of operations in the fight against criminality and other forms of terrorism.

He noted that the successes recorded by the Special Forces of the Restore Hope l prompted the continuation of the 16-week exercise on an improved version of combat and battle-ready skills to continue dealing with adversaries.

He assured that the Special Forces personnel will address the threat caused by kidnappers, terrorists and bandits who are enemies of the state and agents of destabilisation.

Yahaya urged the commander, Training and Doctrine Command, and other commanders in the Nigerian Army to continue to train personnel holistically in order to improve the competencies and skills of soldiers and officers in the service.

Meanwhile, the COAS has inaugurated the highest military repelling tower with a lateral drift trainer to enhance tactical and combat training of personnel at the School of Physical Training, Depot Nigerian Army Zaria.

The Commandant of the school, Brig Gen. A.R Abdurrahman, said the repelling tower is the highest in Africa and Asia, and the tallest in the world, at 60 feet’s length.

While at the School of Military Police, Basawa-Zaria, the COAS also inaugurated a tree-planting campaign, block of classrooms, offices and other projects to strengthen training programs at the Army School.

He then inaugurated the new training centre for locally source trained dogs to be used by the school for sniper activities.