From Molly Kilete, Abuja

Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, has vowed to rebuild the fighting skills, capacity, confidence and morale of troops to confront security challenges bedevilling the country.

He said under his leadership soldiers would be better equipped with the right competences and skills to effectively undertake daring missions in addition to developing special operations forces.

He also assured that threats of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), which are major impediments to military operations, especially in the North East, would soon be a thing of the past.

The COAS stated these at the opening of the combined Chief of Army Staff first quarter conference and Nigerian Army operations retreat in Abuja.

Related News

Attahiru, while noting that troops welfare remained his priority, said he would focus on provision of appropriate kitting and protective gears, weapons, equipment and platforms for troops.

He called on commanders of various army operations to glean from his ‘Command Philosophy’ to ensure that operational and administrative proficiencies of army formations and units are sustained and improved upon.

He said the retreat which was the first since he took over would afford the army the opportunity to reassess the threat environment and review its operations with a view to identifying gaps that could be addressed in the planning and conduct of future operations.

While congratulating officers and soldiers  for their unrelenting sacrifices and efforts in ensuring that the army fulfiled its constitutional responsibilities, the COAS charged them to redouble their efforts and deal with adversaries threatening the peace of the country.

“I expect to see directives emanating from these events and subsequently from Army headquarters translate immediately into proactive courses of action that will find solutions and deal with our numerous security challenges.”