•It’s fresh purchase –Minister
By Adetutu Folasade-Koyi
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government is fighting Boko Haram with weapons bought by former President Goodluck Jonathan, who served under its platform.
This was contained in a statement signed and issued by the Publicity Secretary of the party’s National Caretaker Committee, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, yesterday.
The party insisted that if APC had maintained the successes achieved by the PDP, during the 2015 election in the North-East, Boko Haram would not have regrouped.
The PDP also claimed prolonged herdsmen attacks on Nigerians, across the country, has worsened the country’s security situation in the past two years than in the 16 years it held sway at the centre.
“The scourge of herdsmen attacks across the country, under the APC, is more than the activities of Boko Haram in the North East.
“It is also on record that it was the same weapons bought by previous PDP administration that the present government is still using to prosecute the war on insurgency in the North East.”
But, PDP’s statement differs sharply from that of Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali, who disclosed to newsmen in Lagos, last weekend, that the Federal Government has ordered some sophisticated military equipment, to enable it clean up the remainder of Boko Haram members in the North.
Dan-Ali disclosed that some of the equipment were already in Nigeria while others will arrive in the next four to six months.
He said the military hardware being expected and already in the country include Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle, Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC) and other equipment for the accommodation of troops in mission areas.Although he declined to give an estimate of what government spent to procure the vehicles and military hardware, he, nevertheless, disclosed it was by direct purchase, from the manufacturers, to prevent procurement of substandard items.
“We have ordered a lot of military hardware and in the next four to six months a lot of them will be coming we have to be sure of the arrangement being made in that regard. They are what we call mine resistant ambush protected vehicle, some armoured personnel carrier and other equipment for the accommodation of our troops in the north east.”
The minister insisted peace has returned to the North East and added governments are now in control of every part of theregion.
The United States of America Government had, in 2016, handed over 24 mine-resistant armour-protected vehicles to the Nigerian army.
The US government said it was part of its commitment to assist Nigeria in its war against insurgency.
The armoured vehicles, which arrived the country on New Year day in 2016, were part of the US government’s Excess Defence Articles Programme, a programme designed to transfer excess US military equipment to partner nations.