111-MAN NIGERIAN ARMY CONTINGENT SHOWCASES SOLIDARITY IN YAOUNDE, CAMEROON

Nigerian Army Amphibious Forces Suncraft landing craft exits Cameroon’s Bakassi Peninsula, Aug.2008

CAMEROON TRIBUNE
21 May 2013
By Godlove Bainkong

The 111 men in a majestic march past
held the Head of State and his guests
spellbound. Gentle and majestic! This is the description many onlookers gave a
contingent of Nigerian army, guest at
this year’s National Day, as the 111 men
marched past the Head of State and
other national and international dignitaries at the 20th May Boulevard
yesterday May 20.

They were unique in everything. They
came all the way with their band; they
marched slowly and gently in calculated
steps to the rhythm of their music. The
band trailed the troops as they
majestically took their royal steps but surely in solidarity with their
Cameroonian peers to make true the
theme of the 41st edition of the National Day, “The Army and the Nation, Working Together towards Meeting Security Challenges for an Emerging Cameroon.”

Their style of marching, unique in itself,
brought quietude at the ceremonial
ground as onlookers watched and dished out spontaneous applauses. The Head of State, Paul Biya and First Lady, Chantal Biya, flanked by senior State officials cheered the Nigerian men as they exhibited what many chose to qualify as a queen’s march.

Among the high-level quests at the presidential tribune was General SY Audu who led the Nigerian delegation. Before and after the Nigerians marched
past, no other contingent or group
performed like them.

Cameroonian defence forces, all contingents inclusive, were explosive in their performance, marching with force and exhibiting their strength in securing the country, its people and goods and in so doing surmounting security huddles so as to accelerate the country’s socio-economic development.

But in all calmness, the Nigerian contingent, special in every move, demonstrated that all (calmness and force) can combine to give a nation
peace, stability and sustainable
development. A performance which the
Nigerian High Commissioner to Cameroon, Hadiza Mustapha, described as a sign of good times, peaceful and
cordial relationships with much to come.

“Now, with the peace that we have
gained, we are hoping to also expand on
the economic relationship to help our
people get more jobs and assist our national development,” she said.

MORE NIGERIAN TROOPS DEPLOY TO ADAMAWA..SET TO CONFRONT TERRORISTS IN THE MOUNTAINS, SEAL OFF POROUS BORDERS ACROSS FRONTIER DISTRICTS

Nigerian troops arrive in ‘new-concept’ Toyota Hilux counterinsurgency operational vehicles featuring in their maiden deployment.

Nigerian troops and Toyota Hilux patrol vehicles in Yola

PHOTO CREDIT: NEWS AGENCY OF NIGERIA

BACKGROUNDER

Gentlemen, just to put things in proper perspective, the AOR for the ongoing war against terrorists spans 150,000 sq.kms of the 265,000 sq.kms which makes up Northeast Nigeria. The area affected by the state of emergency is therefore roughly equal to the combined LAND AREA of Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Concerning border security, the area spans 1,400 kilometres(875 miles) of borders. By segments, these are the sectors

- ADAMAWA STATE..shares a border with Cameroon alone. From the intersection with Taraba State just to the south of Gumti and on to Madagali, it is a 400km span(250 miles)

- BORNO STATE…from the intersection to Adamawa on to the El Beid River, to the Lake Chad and onto the the west of Damasak where Yobe territory begins, it is a span of 640km(400 miles) of frontier with Chad, Niger and Cameroon.

- YOBE STATE, which only shares a border with Niger Republic, has a span of 360km(225 miles)

All of that spans mountain ranges(Adamawa, Alantika, Gotel and Mandara), wetlands(Nguru and Lake Chad) and desert. Not an easy task manning those porous frontiers.

http://beegeagle.wordpress.com/2013/05/16/state-of-emergency-nigerian-troops-deploying-for-operations-in-bornoworld-exclusive/

PAKISTAN AIR FORCE CHIEF PLEDGES SUPPORT FOR NIGERIAN MILITARY…VISITS NIGERIAN DEFENCE ACADEMY, AIR FORCE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

DAILY TRUST
20 May, 2013

The Pakistani government has pledged to assist the Nigerian military in its task of ensuring security of lives and property in the country. The Pakistani Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt, who was in Nigeria on a familiarization tour to the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) and the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) in Kaduna, said Pakistan will assist the NAF where and when needed.

He said his visit is to foster the relationship of the two air forces.“The Nigerian Air Force is a very upcoming air force, it has a lot of influence in the African continent and I am sure, with the cooperation of the two air forces, it will develop further and have more meaningful presence everywhere in Africa and elsewhere. The facilities at the NAF are good and people are willing to move forward. Developing countries like ours are passing through interesting times, so unless we keep up good faces and good cheers we will not be able to surmount our problems. We have to face the economic, militant and terrorism issues, and that is why I am here,” he said.

Responding, commandants of the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) and the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Air Vice Marshall John Oshoniyi and Major General Chukuemeka Onwuamaegbu, said they will do everything possible to ensure that the relationship with Pakistan and Nigeria is sustained.

NIGERIAN UNAMID PEACEKEEPERS PREPARE TO SET OUT ON PATROL IN NYALA, SUDAN

PHOTO CREDIT: DANIEL PEPPER/THE CHRONICLE

NIGERIAN NAVY ACTIVATE NEW ICT INTELLIGENCE CENTRE AT THE EASTERN NAVAL COMMAND

NIGERIAN NAVY OPS ROOM

THISDAY
18 May 2013
By Jude Okwe in Calabar

Digital facilities that will help the Nigerian Navy in surveillance operations IN the Gulf of Guinea have been installed at the Eastern Naval Command. The facilities will enhance intelligence gathering and checkmate the movement of pirates and other sea criminals. With this facility in place, officers and men of the command can conveniently monitor onshore and offshore activities in the Gulf of Guinea, tracking down pirates, smugglers, pipeline vandals and all those involved in economic sabotage more effectively.

At the inauguration of the ICT intelligence centre at NNS Victory,Calabar, the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Eastern Naval Command, Rear Admiral Joseph Aikhomu said with the establishment of the centre, the Navy’s reaction to developments at the Gulf of Guinea would be swifter. He commended the company, which installed the facility, Protection Plus Services Ltd, for assisting the command in the discharge of its duties, noting that such a symbiotic relationship was needed for the protection of Nigeria’s territorial waters.

“This morning I briefed the Chief of Naval Staff about this ICT centre and he commended the initiative. He sent his congratulations. This ICT/Intelligence centre has state of the art facilities.From here we can easily monitor the security situation in our zone. This centre is just like those found in the advanced countries.

“This centre is significant in many ways as we all learn every day.It is also meant to teach our officers and men ICT knowledge considering that the modern world is information driven. We shall deploy it to full use. The money spent here is not the issue but the knowledge that will be acquired and the ease with which our job will be done,” Aikhomu said.

Commander of NNS Victory, Commodore James Oladapo Oluwole said he envisioned having an ICT centre of dual purpose in place and worked towards realizing it adding that he did not initially know how the centre was going to be established and commended Protection Plus Services Ltd for coming to the aid of the command. He said the centre would be open for use by sister services, who want to train their personnel and that the portal would be at the disposal all officers and men of the command whom, he said must be ICT compliant if they want to source for information on the internet from any part of the world.

Mr. Ubong King of Protection Plus Services Ltd explained that his childhood ambition had been to bequeath to his children a Nigeria that is safe and good enough to live in, hence they ventured into hi-tech security provision in the country and commended the Chief of Naval Staff for his visionary leadership.

King maintained that his desire has always been to see a Nigerian Navy that its personnel could sit within the confines of their offices and monitor security offshore and onshore and plot response easily, noting that with this centre, the entire Gulf of Guinea could easily be seen from it. The company, according to King, is into security, logistics and maritime but that the aim of the firm was to become “a global security company with local perspective in every part of the world in order to continually provide quality, efficient and timely services.”

CADETS OF THE NIGERIAN DEFENCE ACADEMY IN A CONVOY OF PANHARD VBL M11 SCOUT CARS AND OTOKAR COBRA APC ENROUTE THE YUSUFARI DESERT WARFARE TRAINING CAMP

PHOTO CREDIT: HOPE FOR NIGERIA

NIGERIAN ARMY EMERGE WITH DESERT WARFARE OPERATIONAL VEHICLES AS BUDDING DESERT WARFARE CAPABILITIES EXPAND

Desert warfare-adapted Toyota Landcruiser gun-trucks of the Nigerian Army

PHOTO CREDIT: THISDAY

A Nigerian Army desert warfare crew and Landcruiser gun-truck armed with a Browning M2 12.7mm calibre heavy machine gun in Mali

Nigerian troops dressed up in desert camouflage and 4WD trucks painted in desert camouflage scheme

PHOTO CREDIT: HOPE FOR NIGERIA

Logo of the Nigerian Army Desert Force