Fighting Insurgency in Nigeria Needs Good Intelligence Not Sophisticated Weapons, Military Contractor Says

A director and spokesperson of a private military company previously engaged by the Nigerian government has said fighting the counterinsurgency war in the country does not require sophisticated or advanced weaponry, noting that the application of the correct tactics and equipment will force Boko Haram insurgents to the negotiation table or will be forced out of existence.

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The spokesman of Conella Services, a South Africa-based private military company who spoke exclusively to ARISE News, had his face blurred and his name not given for confidentiality purposes.

He said winning the counterinsurgency war will require the weaponry Nigeria has in her inventory to be used properly.

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Nigeria’s Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed had in November called for more global support and adequate weapons, noting that the nation has been denied this support and without adequate weapons, the nation will remain at the mercy of terrorists.

But the Director Conella Services said in his response that, “fighting a counterinsurgency war is an unsophisticated effort, what it does need is really really good intelligence.”

He added further: “Boko Haram drives around in civilian vehicles and motorcycles, they walk, they stay in the bush, they do not have large ordinary places, they do not have armored vehicles, maybe one or two they have captured, but not enough to make a difference.

“And to address that, does not require sophisticated or advanced weaponry. It requires the weaponry that Nigeria has in its inventory to be used properly. Perhaps it needs to be renovated, readjusted, or updated but there’s enough weaponry in the Nigerian inventory to win the war.

“It’s a process the Nigerian military has to go through unfortunately because previous administrations and previous general staff have allowed the army to deteriorate to a point where it takes a long and cumbersome process to rebuild.

“The posture of the Nigerian army should change to the army that can fight a counter-insurgency war. You will find out that a young lieutenant on the ground in charge of 30 men will be responsible for an area the size of Lagos state, and they have to make the wrong decisions.

“So decentralising decision making, adjusting equipment, adjusting tactics, those are the things Nigeria has to do. It does not have to buy sophisticated armoury, sophisticated aircraft, sophisticated helicopters.

“Yes, there’s gap in the inventory, especially on the air side and I believe that’s where some of the major countries in the world refuse to sell to Nigeria the hardware they require. But again solutions can be found, exhausting the equipment that Nigeria is allowed to buy, or has bought before can be rebooted and can be rejuvenated and can be put to good use.

“With the correct application with a little bit of money and the correct tactics and the correct equipment, in six to twelve months of operations Boko Haram will be forced to go to the negotiation table or they will be forced out of existence.”

By Abel Ejikeme

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