NSA said some coward soldiers hamper fight against Boko Haram; He also urged for the Election to be Postponed

Sambo Dasuki

                              
The National Security Adviser Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) said on thursday in London that Nigeria's fight against Boko Haram insurgents is being hampered by "coward" within the army.

“Unfortunately, we have a lot of cowards. We have people who use every excuse in this world not to fight,” Col. Dasuki told an audience at the Chatham House think-tank in the British capital.

But, he stressed, “there is no high-level conspiracy within the army not to end the insurgency.”

“Anyone who is saying that our soldiers are not well armed is not telling the truth. We had a lot of cowards, and it turned out there was a problem in the recruitment process … There were a lot of people who joined because they wanted a job, not because they wanted a career in the military. These are the people who ran away.”

“We have not only laid the blame on the soldiers. We have put officers on trial who have shown very poor judgment,” Col. Dasuki insisted. But he also had a clear message for the rank and file: “If you don’t want to fight, get out of the army. Don’t make excuses, saying that you’re poorly equipped.”

The national security adviser admitted that the last major procurement of equipment for the army was more than two decades ago, but he stressed that sophisticated equipment was not essential for counter-insurgency.

Dasuki said that Nigeria was taking a “holistic” approach to the counter-insurgency, looking at the political and social causes of radicalisation. He estimated that 70% to 80% of Boko Haram fighters were from the Kanuri, an indigenous group with ancient roots in north-eastern Nigeria, who have since been eclipsed by the Hausa and Fulani people.

The Nigeria Security Adviser also urged that the General Election be postponed to allow more people time to get the biometric cards.