Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru, on Wednesday dismissed insinuations by Nigerians especially the House of Representatives that terrorist groups operating within the nation’s borders have superior weapons compared to those being used by the nation’s military.
Badaru, who spoke during a ministerial briefing said that far from that, the Nigerian military possesses far superior weapons and technology than any terrorist group.
Members of the House of Representatives, while lamenting the rising level of insecurity on Tuesday, expressed concerns over the strength of terrorist factions following a recent attack on a military installation in Giwa, Borno where they overwhelmed the Nigerian military.
They used the incident as evidence that Boko Haram insurgents were better equipped than the Nigerian troops tasked with tackling them.
But the Defence Minister emphasised that the challenge is not a lack of firepower by the Nigerian military or its inferiority in weapons’ possession but rather the unpredictable and terrorists’ irregular warfare tactics aided by the activities of informants within local communities.
According to the Minister: “Yesterday, the House of Representatives said that the terrorists have better weapons than us. That is absolutely not true. We have much more sophisticated weapons and we have much more sophisticated drones.
“The issue is, this war is not a conventional war. It’s like a guerrilla war. They watch us, they have informants around us.
“They help the people that we try to protect, and they give them information, then they jump at us the way we don’t expect when they know that our surveillance mechanism is watching other directions.”
On the use of drones by terrorist groups, Badaru clarified that terror groups were using modified civilian drones and not weaponised or military-grade variants.
He assured that the military was doubling its intelligence efforts both locally and internationally to track and cut off their supply sources.
While providing update on domestic defence production, he noted that the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) was gradually ramping up local production.
“Out of 53 companies operating within the complex, 10 have already begun producing military-grade hardware, including drones, aircraft components, and protective gear.
”Most of them are at various stages of constructing their factories. About 10 of these companies have already commenced production, including the manufacturing of drones, aircraft components, personal computers, helmets, safety vests, and other equipment.
“We are targeting at least 20 companies to be operational by the end of the year, and by next year, we aim to begin exporting.
“We are working to see if we can sustain a section in Ajaokuta that will support our efforts to make DICON more vibrant,” he added.
Written with additional reports from NAN
