By Toby Prince
President Muhammadu Buhari has hailed the Nigerian military for degrading the capacity of Boko Haram insurgents.
Buhari made the claim while inaugurating 111 cadets into the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) as pilot officers at the NAF base in Kaduna.
The president who was represented by Abayomi Olonisakin, chief of defence staff, said those trying to destabilise the country have been frustrated.
He asked the newly commissioned officers to confront “our common enemies” using new tactics.
“The armed forces of Nigeria has recorded tremendous progress in degrading the capacity of Boko Haram terrorist thereby securing the territorial integrity of the country,” the president said.
“In this regard, the ambition of our detractors to destabilize the country is being frustrated even as they continue to attack soft targets, carry out hit and run attacks on isolated military formations and utilise social media propaganda to disseminate fake news.
“I therefore challenge you as newly commissioned officers coming on board at this digital era, to brace up for these new tactics of our common enemies.”
Buhari said in the past four years, the air force has reactivated grounded aircraft, inducted new fleet and could still meet up “sufficiently with the administrative and welfare needs of its personnel.”
“You are being commissioned at a time when Nigeria is tackling security challenges of terrorism, insurgency, kidnapping, armed banditry, communal clashes, cultism, militancy, herdsmen-farmers clashes and other security challenges across our country,” he said.
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