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The Theater Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Major General Olusegun Adeniyi, has stated that the army is yet to crush Boko Haram terrorists completely because of the absence of the Nigerian Army Aviation.
He made the disclosure while receiving the National Assembly joint committee on Army in Maiduguri over the weekend.
The theater commander said Boko Haram has never been a “formidable force” as they are perceived to be.
His words: “The only thing that needs to be given to the army now is Nigeria Army Aviation with its own helicopters.
“There is a way you solve a problem that will change the game. The Army needs combat helicopters to end the Boko Haram war. If we have it, it will not be deployed like Air Force assets, Air Force jets are for bigger strategic goals.
“These helicopters will sleep with us in the trenches, they will be with us in the frontline. These helicopters and the rifles are dispatched together.
“I know this has been on the table for years. When this is done, Nigeria can forget about the deadly Islamic sect.
“Let me say Boko Haram is not a formidable force, they are not strong; they cannot sustain 15 minutes of intensive firing. I personally exchange with Boko Haram in Marte, in Delta, in Gubio as deputy theatre commander and as theatre commander.
“Please go and tell Abuja that the terrorists are not a formidable force that the military cannot defeat.”