The Nigerian Army graduated 525 combat troops on Monday, who will be deployed to various theater operations across the country.
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-Gen Farouk Yahaya, told graduands at the Nigerian Army Training Camp in Kachia, Kaduna State, that the Army had recently acquired military hardware to achieve the desired effects in combating insecurity.
The COAS directed the troops to protect the military assets from all adversaries.
He stated that the training was organized for selected young soldiers from the 80th Regular Recruit Intake, as well as the necessary command and control elements, in order to produce agile, highly skilled, and competent troops for the conduct of cohesive unit operations.
The COAS stated that the training provided the troops with the skills and competencies needed to execute varying scales of operations in Nigeria’s defense.
“The training you have received is one of such arrangements, which I am confident has improved the Nigerian Army’s combat readiness and will improve its overall operational efficiency in due course.”
“You’ve been instilled with warrior ethos, particularly the ability to shoot to kill, as well as physical and mental toughness, among other things.”
“As a result, I am confident that these newly acquired skills will be put to good use in combating insurgency, banditry, and other criminal activities that threaten the peace and stability of our beloved nation,” he said.
Yahaya stated that he would continue to ensure more robust training arrangements while consolidating on existing ones in order to improve the service’s manpower capacity.
He challenged the troops to put their newly acquired skills to use in the planning and execution of operations across the country.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the graduation was for an advanced infantry training package known as ‘Exercise Restore Hope One.’
The COAS also toured facilities and inaugurated a reactivated water project at the Nigerian Army School of Artillery, according to NAN.