Lt. Gen. Kenneth Minimah
The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Kenneth Minimah, at the weekend assured Nigerians that the nation’s military had superior fire power in the fight against insurgency.
The Minister of Defence, retired Gen. Aliyu Gusau, also led all the three service chiefs to the 44th Military Reference Hospital, Kaduna where they visited some of the wounded soldiers in the offensive against the Boko Haram insurgency and decorated them with medals.
No fewer than 60 wounded soldiers were decorated with medals in the four wards of the hospital by the minister.
Minimah who spoke after the visit of the wounded soldiers now recuperating in the hospital, said that the speculation in the public that the Boko Haram insurgents were better armed than Nigerian soldiers in the fight against terrorism was wrong.
He said: “Insurgents are not more sophisticated. Do they have ship, helicopter, aircraft to confront the Nigerian forces?
“Even what they have are stolen. So they cannot be more sophisticated, they do not have more sophisticated weapons.”
On the visit of the top military leaders to the wounded soldiers admitted at the 44th Military Reference Hospital, Kaduna, Minimah remarked that “it is a routine visit to 44 Army Hospital and also to visit all the soldiers and officers who were wounded in action in all the theatres of operation.
“We use the opportunity to award them medals, private war-time medals of purple hearts as part of a welfare programme as presented to them by the Honourable Minister of Defence. This is part of a welfare programme to rekindle the fighting spirit and battle efficiency. And it is also part of the extension of the concern of the Nigeria army to officers or soldiers injured or killed during the operation.”
He added: “The mechanism of the Nigeria army for all those killed in action and process is being hastened to provide immediate succour to the next of kin to those killed in action.”
The Corp Commander, Medical, Nigerian Army, Maj. Gen. Obashina Ogunbiyi, explained that “up to date… over 170 soldiers have passed through here for treatment, some flew abroad for further treatment which is not available in this country. Obasanjo’s son was treated in one of our facilities, he is doing well and he is discharged.”
On the significance of the medals awarded to the wounded soldiers, the Director of Administration, Nigeria Army, Maj. Gen. Garba Wahab, said that “the purple heart medal given to personnel who are injured during an operation, and posthumously given to the family of the deceased is a military tradition in honouring soldiers.”
