Former Governor of old Kaduna State, Col. Abubakar Dangiwa Umar says the procurement of sophisticated military hardware such as the Super Tucano aircraft will not end terrorism in the country.
According to the retired senior military officer, only ground troops can bring an end to the menace.
He expressed concern about growing insecurity in the country, noting that the security of life and property of its citizens remains the primary responsibility of any government.
He advised the government to prioritise recruitment of more soldiers to combat the menace of terrorism and banditry.
Umar further urged the incumbent government and future administrations to pay greater attention to the issue of security, explaining that nothing else matters in the absence of security.
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On the fight against terrorism and banditry, the ex-military governor said that the $460 million expended on procuring the 12 Super Tucano aircraft could have been better deployed into hiring more manpower for the military, noting that the sum could cater for the recruitment, training and payment of 200,000 soldiers for one year.
Umar insisted that while more equipment was also necessary, the military urgently needed more manpower.
“More boots on the ground not more fixed-wing aircraft like Super Tucano.
“All the forests of the Northwest and some parts of North-central must be combed and dominated by ground forces and surveilled by helicopter gunships. Wild bombings with the use of aircraft amount to wild goose chase.
“Fixed-wing aircraft are not ideal weapons of choice in the fight against banditry and kidnappings,” Sunday Sun quoted Umar to have said.