Jonathan creates new army division, sends 8,000 troops after Boko Haram

President Goodluck Jonathan appears set
to boost the strength of the military in the
insurgency infested North-east after
indications emerged that about 8,000
troops are being sent there.
The troops, according to security sources,
will form the nucleus of an army division
to be established in Maiduguri, Borno
State capital.
Sunday Vanguard was made to
understand at the weekend that the need
to establish the new army division in the
stronghold of the Boko Haram Islamist
group is to firm up the successes
recorded by special forces of the Joint
Task Force (JTF) which have reportedly
dislodged the insurgents from the forests
and mountains of the North-east.
The move came to light barely 48 hours
after the United States (US) said security
efforts were necessary to protect innocent
Nigerians, prevent Boko Haram’s acts of
violence, capture and prosecute its
leaders.
The US Under Secretary of State, Wendy
Sherman, who gave the recipe to ending
the insurgency challenge in Nigeria on
behalf of her home government, spoke in
Abuja at the opening session of the US-
Nigeria Bi-national Commission’s
Regional Security Cooperation Working
Group on Thursday.
Also yesterday, the Chairman of Police
Service Commission (PSC), Mr Mike
Okiro, advocated the establishment of a
civil force to complement the efforts of
security agencies at the grassroots to curb
terrorism and other crimes.
Sunday Vanguard learnt that the new
army division to be domiciled in
Maiduguri is tagged 7th Infantry Division
and may have one General Etnan as the
General Officer Commanding (GOC).
The 8,000 troops to be deployed there,
according to sources, are made up of
7,000 troops from army headquarters
brigade in Yola, Adamawa State, the
army headquarters brigade (Mongonu) in
Maiduguri, the battalion in Yobe and the
army headquarters brigade in Sokoto as
well as the about 1,000 troops recalled
from operations in Mali.
Sunday Vanguard was told that the new
army division will take over operations of
securing the entire North-east and seal
off the border axis between Nigeria and
Niger, Chad and Cameroon where
intelligence has shown that terrorists get
their training and launch bombing attacks
on Nigeria.
Before the establishment of the division
which Sunday Vanguard gathered was on
the recommendation of the Chief of the
Army Staff, Lt. General Oyeabor Azubuike
Ihejirika, parts of the Area of
Responsibility (AOR) were under the 1st
Infantry Division of the army in Kaduna,
which has Major General Garba Wahab as
GOC and 3rd Armoured Division in Jos
which has Major General Awala as GOC.
Asked about the fate of the Major General
Ewansiha led JTF in Maiduguri, with the
establishment of the new division, a
source said the JTF will work hand in
hand with the new division, adding,
however, that it (JTF) is an interim force
which most likely will be scaled down
after the first phase (6 months) of the
state of emergency had achieved its
objectives.
Meanwhile, Sunday Vanguard gathered,
also at the weekend, that the Nigerian
Airforce Strike Group with headquarters in
Yola, Adamawa State, where some attack
aircraft of the Tactical Air Command are
stationed, is to be upgraded with the
injection of more fighter and patrol
aircraft as well as helicopter gunships.
The upgrade became necessary,
according to sources, to provide air cover
and patrols over the vast and dense
forests of the North-east where Boko
Haram insurgents held sway for months,
hoisting their flags, claiming territories
and collecting taxes from Nigerians.
Towards this end, it was gathered that the
Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Alex
Sabundu Badeh, has directed the
relocation of some patrol and surveillance
aircraft from the 81 Air Maritime
Command in Benin, and the Special
Operations Group in Port Harcourt to
Yola. Some Alpha jets will also leave
Kainji for Yola.
The PSC Chairman, Okiro, advocating the
establishment of a civil force to
complement the operations of security
agencies, yesterday, believes the force,
under the supervision of the police, will
curtail terrorism and other criminal
activities at the grassroots.
The former Inspector General of Police
(IGP) spoke at the Corporate Council on
Africa in Washington, US. The Corporate
Council, which has on its membership
Nigerians in diaspora, had invited him to
deliver a lecture during a round table
discussion on civil security in Nigeria.
Citing the civilian JTF in Borno State, he
noted that “the positive impact of the
youth civilian volunteer group in Borno
State justifies such reasoning.”
Okiro based his belief on the principle of
the American Homeland Security,
stressing that the operation of the civil
security force should be in line with
Bahama and Sri-Lanka models, which
are under the command of the police.