INSURGENCY: Army establishes new Division in northern Borno

MAIDUGURI—Nigerian Army Command has established a new Division in northern Borno as part of its strategic plans to boost military operations against terrorists, particularly in areas around the Lake Chad Basin.

Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai announced the establishment of the Nigerian Army 8 Division on Wednesday, in Abuja while delivering a lecture titled: ‘Nigerian Army: Challenges and Future Perspectives,’ at the National Defence College, Abuja.

It would be recalled that the Nigerian Army Command had in August 2013 established the 7th Infantry Division in Maiduguri to boost the military’s counter-insurgency operation in the North-East.

Though details of the new establishment were not disclosed, Buratai said the division would soon become fully operational with logistics and manpower deployments.

The chief of army staff also said that plans were underway to establish another division to be known as the Nigerian Army 6 Division with Headquarters in the South-South region of the country.

He said the establishment of the new divisions was part of a strategic plan to improve on the Nigerian Army’s operational capabilities in the face of emerging threats to national security.

The Chief of Army Staff said the establishment of the additional formations would bring the number of divisions in the Nigerian Army to eight.

He said: “Emerging threats to the security of our nation which have been aggravated by the proliferation of armed groups have added to the task of the military in protecting the lives of Nigerians and the integrity of its territory.”

“ The focus of the Nigerian Army today is to find lasting solutions to these contemporary threats posed by the activities of the armed groups and their allies.

“The Nigerian Army, therefore, remains poised to the extermination of the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria; today, they can no longer hold any territory as it used to be in the past that is why they have resorted to the use of IEDs to hit soft targets.

“We have established the 8 division located in the northern part of Borno specifically to clear the area of the remaining terrorists elements while another division, 6 Division, will be established in the South-South,” he said.

Buratai said the Army would embark on an ambitious expansion programme to address manpower needs of the force to respond appropriately to contemporary threats to national security.