Crack Nigerian Army commandos, who just concluded a special training in the United States, have been deployed in the North to combat the terrorist attacks, SUNDAY PUNCH has learnt.

Our correspondents gathered that the commandos were part of the personnel of the Nigeria Army who left the country for a crack training programme on counter terrorism in the US.

A very reliable Federal Government source, who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity, put the number of those who departed the country for the first batch of counter insurgency training, at 300.

Another reliable source said those who participated in the programme were drawn from the Nigerian Army Engineering Anti-bomb Squad.
The sources said the beneficiaries of the training programme in the US had since been deployed in various places under the Joint Task force in the North-East, which has been locked in a fierce battle with the deadly Islamic sect.

The Guardian of London had on Thursday reported that the US army provided counter-insurgency training to Nigerian troops battling a rise in attacks by the fundamentalist Boko Haram sect.

The Director of Army Information, Maj. Gen. Raphael Isah, who confirmed the training of Nigerian troops by the US on counter insurgency, however denied reports that hundreds of those who left the country for the training had returned.

He said the Nigerian Army had been sending troops for training in foreign countries in consonance with existing agreements, which according to him, was normal.

He said, "Let me make it clear that no 300 soldiers left this country for training. No, it is also not correct to say that 100 soldiers have returned from the training. All these are wrong quotes.

"These are speculations, we have been doing trainings right from time to time and if there is a review, somebody cannot say that several battalions have been sent out for training.

"Battalions are not sent out. We have training agreements with other countries; it is done everywhere and it is normal."

The sources however said the Army boss would not be willing to confirm the figure because it would be tantamount to leaking intelligence.

Isah added that the current moves being made by the Army were not only because of the Boko Haram activities but as a result of the approved Order of Battle of the service, which had created opportunity for the Army to expand.

He said the Nigerian Army already had some of the units that were being strengthened now such as the anti-Terrorism Unit in Jaji, Kaduna State, the Special Warfare unit, the Mountain Warfare Unit, the Composite Counter Terrorism Unit of the 82 Division of the NA in Enugu.

He said what the Army did was to strengthen some of the existing units in consonance with the approved Order of Battle.

Isah also said the information gathering methodology of the Nigerian Army had been reviewed and was already yielding productive results.

"The methodology of our intelligence gathering has been reviewed and we are making breakthroughs already.

"Nigerians are more than ever before willing to give information to security agencies; we encourage them to do more," he said.


In addition to the capacity building programmes for army personnel in the challenge to tackle emergent insurgency in the society, the Nigerian Army has also received the first set of war dog trainers in the country.

Isah, who confirmed the arrival of the trained personnel on war dog handling, did not disclose the number of personnel that went for the course in the US.

Our correspondents however gathered that 12 Nigerian Army experts in dog handling, who were trained in the US, have started the War-Dog Section at the headquarters of the Military Police in Abuja.

The pioneer trainees are expected to train other personnel of the Army. The dog section is strategically established to support the military Police and the Nigerian Army Engineering Anti-Bomb unit.

The source added that the Nigerian Army authorities had concluded arrangements to send more troops for training in the handling of the crucial dogs.

Isah said, "The Chief of Army Staff has made it known to all those who want to know about the dog section. The Chief said some people were to be trained in the US and I can say now that the initial group went and came back.

"It will support military police and the Nigerian Army Engineering Bomb Disposal Unit; they have done their refresher training and they are back."

Also, in a bid to combat the Boko Haram threat, all operational policemen are to undergo a mandatory training on counter-terrorism.


Already, no fewer than 6,000 officers have graduated from the counter-terrorism training conducted by Israeli anti-terrorism specialists in Israel and at the Anti-terrorism and Insurgency Centre of the Nigerian Army School of Infantry in Jaji, Kaduna State, as well as in military facilities in Lagos, Makurdi and Port Harcourt.

Additional 100 dog handlers with specially trained sniffer dogs have also been deployed in Jos, Plateau State and Abuja.

The Isreali instructors have also trained 105 policemen, who would train their colleagues under a ‘train-the -trainer programme’ funded by the Nigeria Police Force.

The programme, which commenced in January, 2011, also involved the procurement of sophisticated crime-fighting gadgets for the force, including Armoured Personnel Carriers some of which have been deployed for random patrols, especially in the Federal Capital Territory.

The Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Yemi Ajayi, confirmed that all operational police officers would be trained in counter-terrorism to strengthen the force capabilities to contain terrorism threats.


He however said the training had nothing to do with the Boko Haram attacks, insisting that the training was part of the police reform agenda meant to reposition the force to cope with the challenges of the 21st century.

Ajayi said, "The counter-terrorism training commenced in January this year and about 6,000 policemen have graduated from the programme so far. We have also trained 105 trainers in Israel who will train others at various local facilities

"We have 100 trained dog handlers with specially sniffer dogs on undercover operations and many more would be trained in the course of the programme which will fully equip our men to manage any security crisis."


Meanwhile, a few days after the radical Islamic sect, Boko Haram, relocated its operational headquarters from Maiduguri, Borno State to Damaturu, the capital of Yobe State, the Federal Government has uncovered plans by the sect to attack more states.


A reliable FG source told our correspondent that the states in the North-East- Gombe, Adamawa, Bauchi and Plateau were the new targets of the dreaded sect.

According to him, the states are more vulnerable to attacks by the sect because members of the Boko Haram have spread their tentacles to those areas.


He said the Yobe attack indicated that the fundamentalist sect had settled in the state a long time before they struck

He said, "Everything about the Yobe attack showed that it was a planned job. They divided themselves into groups and were attacking FG establishments with precision. That tells us a lot. While we were concentrating on Maiduguri, they were silently moving to Yobe and you saw the havoc they wrecked there.


"Now, we have it on good authority that they have moved to Bauchi, Gombe, Adamawa and Plateau. In fact, they are there already. They have members of their sects in all these states and they may likely attack there."


The Associated Press had last week quoted a Boko Haram spokesperson, Abul-Qaqa, as saying, "More attacks are on the way. We will continue attacking Federal Government formations until security forces stop their excesses on our members and vulnerable civilians."

The Director of Army Information, Maj. Gen. Raphael Isah, who confirmed the training of Nigerian troops by the US on counter insurgency, however denied reports that hundreds of those who left the country for the training had returned.

He said, "Let me make it clear that no 300 soldiers left this country for training. No, it is also not correct to say that 100 soldiers have returned from the training. All these are wrong quotes.