The claims by Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture, that former President Goodluck Jonathan provided the Nigerian military with substandard weapons to fight against the Boko Haram insurgents has been faulted by the Nigerian military.
The Director of Defence Information, Brig.-Gen. Rabe Abubakar, while speaking on Africa Independent Television (AIT), dismissed the reports that soldiers fighting Boko Haram were poorly equipped.
“What I know is that we are using equipment which is okay for us. We have been achieving results. What I know is that we have equipment that can take us to where we are going…However, you cannot say you have everything you need for your operations. Even the developed nations’ Armed Forces lack one thing or the other,” Abubakar said.
The Director of Defence Information also dismissed claims that the Chibok girls should be forgotten declaring that efforts being made to rescue the abducted Chibok girls would not be in vain.
He said: “In the course of our operations, a lot of persons who hitherto we didn’t know, were rescued by the Armed Forces. So, fundamentally, what I’m saying is that inasmuch as our effort is still ongoing by the level of momentum we are putting in now, we are hopeful.
“I believe rescuing the Chibok girls is one of the targets that we set for ourselves. And I believe that with what we have done and what we are set to do, we will rescue any captive with the insurgents, not only the Chibok girls … We are extremely searching for not only the Chibok girls, but any other captive. It is just a matter of time,”.