The Nigerian Military has shown itself capable of dealing with the Boko Haram menace, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, Chairman, Senate Committee on Information, Media and Public Affairs, has disclosed.
Abaribe gave the assurance in Abuja Monday after a meeting with the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Kenneth Minimah, Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosun and The Director of Department of State Service, Mr. Ekpenyong Ita for eight hours over the security situation in the North.
Briefing newsmen after about eight hours closed-door session with the Service Chiefs, Abaribe said that the Security heads insisted that the extension of emergency rule was necessary for the quick resolution of the insurgency in the affected states.
Senator Abaribe said that during the closed-door session, all the constraints the Nigerian military was facing towards bringing the insurgency to an end were deliberated as well as the military budgetary provisions.
“And I can tell you, the senate was very impressed with the response from the military and like I said, the military has shown itself to be capable of dealing with the insurgency. The fact that they are capable of dealing with the insurgency means that the senate will do all in its power to support the Nigeria military so that we can bring this insurgency to a quick resolution.
“We also found from their briefing that we have some problems which have to do with the troop levels and with the level of equipment and of course all the other ancillary problems where you have to fight what we call asymmetrical war and not a formal conflict.
“We are very glad that the military is at this moment, gearing up itself to be able to deal with this asymmetrical conflict in the North East of Nigeria. As of today, we have the briefing and we can reassure Nigerians that the military is up to the task of dealing with this matter.”
Senator Abaribe parried questions on the state of emergency: “The question of the state of emergency was not what was on the table today and we are going to also wait until it is brought on the floor of the senate and we will now discuss it.
“What the senate did today was to separate the two questions. Of course the military continues to insist that they need the state of emergency to be able to conduct operations in a manner that will bring it to a quick resolution.
“When the senate now takes the question of state of emergency of course you will be there because it will be discussed in open plenary.”