The Nigerian Army says it will adopt and promote the special forces concept to meet the prevailing challenges it faces with the conventional method of warfare.
Brig. Gen. Emmanuel Akpan, Director, Directorate of Army Recruitment, Resettlement and Reserve (DARRR), disclosed this on Wednesday in Abakaliki during a sensitisation forum for the youth planning to enlist in the army.
Akpan said that the concept involved enlisting rare-breed of men with special skills, physical and mental capacities to be used in warfare.
“They are the prized assets of the government as the concept’s training will be integrated in the Nigerian army.
“This means that anybody recruited into the Nigerian army henceforth will go through such process,” he said.
The DARRR director said that in the past, warfare was based on conventional approach where one knows the enemy and the enemy knows him.
“You know his strength, disposition and the strategy to outwit him in battle but these are no longer obtained in contemporary times.
“Warfare has evolved to a change in character as the line between the friend and adversary has been blocked.
“You don’t know who your friend is anymore, and enemy, and this is known as war without borders or war among the people.
“This change has made the normal army trained to engage in contemporary warfare have lots of problems as exemplified in the northeast campaign.
“The Chief of Army staff (COAS) has, therefore, directed we adopt the Special Forces concept which is a tough process that requires both physical and mental abilities.
“The present army and that of the future is no longer for ‘never-do-wells’ as the COAS envisions an army where every soldier must think and exhibit mental capacities at every situation,” he said.
He assured the youth that all slots meant for the state would be allotted to indigenes and advised them to log into the Nigerian Army portal for necessary information.
Mr Mark Onu, Special Assistant (SA) to Ebonyi governor on Youth Mobilisation, thanked the Nigerian army for providing such opportunities for the youth and pledged that they would avail themselves of such.
“The youth are free to ask questions on the enlistment process as we thank the state governor for providing platforms for the youth to excel,” he said.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the army’s enlightenment team paid a courtesy visit to the state governor who was represented by the deputy governor, Dr Kelechi Igwe. (NAN)

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