President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigera
THE ADVOCATE
12 May, 2014
The Israeli government, Sunday, joined other world powers such as USA, France,United Kingdom, China, Spain and Canada to assist Nigeria in the search and rescue operation of the more than 200 female students abducted four weeks ago in Borno State.
President Goodluck Jonathan has also expressed optimism that, with the entire international community deploying military and intelligence-gathering skills in support of Nigeria’s efforts, the abducted schoolgirls will soon be found and rescued.
Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who made the offer to the Nigerian Government during a telephone conversation with President Jonathan, yesterday, said the security experts would arrive Nigeria soon.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati, who disclosed this in a statement quoted the president as saying that “with the entire international community deploying its considerable military and intelligence-gathering skills and assets in support of Nigeria’s efforts to find and rescue the abducted Chibok girls, success will soon be achieved”.
According to Dr Abati, the Israeli Prime Minister conveyed his country’s sympathy and solidarity with Nigeria. He said President Jonathan briefed Mr. Netanyahu on actions already being taken by Nigeria’s armed forces and security agencies to locate and rescue the girls, saying that Nigeria would be pleased to have Israel’s globally-acknowledged anti-terrorism expertise deployed to support its ongoing operations.
He said: “Mr. Netanyahu, who expressed Israel’s total condemnation of the mass abductions, said that the team of experts from his country who will soon arrive in Nigeria,will work in collaboration with teams from the United States and Britain who are already in the country and their Nigerian counterparts to intensify the search for the girls.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu reaffirmed Israel’s willingness to give the
government and people of Nigeria all possible support and assistance to overcome terrorism and insecurity”, Dr Abati said.
Beegeagle's Blog 
The imminent arrival of the Israelis is already causing some discomfort to some of the partners for whom this is another hunt for glory.
Their external broadcast arm was running at tangent this morning about the Israeli presence being likely to cause disaffection in a country where Muslim-Christian tensions are never off the frontburner. Really?
What they did not tell anyone is that Israel come to the board with probably the strongest contemporary CTCOIN credentials of all the foreign contingents and their presence might make it impossible for any spurious claims or unchallenged narrative to pass muster.
Again, if the Israeli presence is likely to cause disaffection, how come they failed to report that at the slightest flare-up in the Middle East conflict, U.S and British flags get burnt in northern Nigeria?
In any case, Nigeria fashioned out a balancing act which has her military, special forces and intelligence personnel training in Israel and Pakistan to remove the possibility of any allegations of skulduggery and religious bias. Nigerian Christians and Muslims as a group train jointly in Israel and in Paksitan…even more than we do in the U.K. these days,
We wholeheartedly welcome the Israelis to join this effort. The FG should also play up the Chinese effort and invite Russian assistance. At least, the Israeli media are not nearly as garrulous, condescending and destructive as their Western counterparts. We can live with that.
My Oga, all dog dey chop sh**t, na the wan wey nor clean mouth na im chop pass. We abysmally failed to do proper “housekeeping”. That is neither here nor there now. Let the Israelis join and help with the advance intel or other assistance we crucially need to find and rescue the girls. And it is time the West stop the subtle blackmail (on Israel’s inclusion) and tittle tattle bad mouthing, and get stuck in, or leave us be.
Gbosa !!
You realise this is all just a bonanza for everybody to look good on TV and sell their equipment.
this is definitely a case of too many cooks.
What are they all bringing to the party? Canada, Israel, US, UK, France, China even Ghana wan put mouth.
we have opened our door and everyone is coming to dance.
again a failure of planning and leadership on the part of the authorities.
First we need to define what we need and then request specific assets from specific players. Not just any thing they offer we take. UK is sending Sentinels (allegedly) ok it might be useful in finally building up a detailed SIGINT picture for Bh but is it being deployed for the search or to build up a specific pattern of life and chatter.
everyone coming to this party has a message for Nigeria and for their home population, everyone coming has an objective. The only ones who seem to not know what the fuck is happening is the Nigerian Government.
This is not the job for another fucking committee. A Task Force is needed, with a general officer in command and a Police officer as deputy, directly answerable to the Minister f Defence and the President. a special Task Force on Abductions and Terrorism, with a remit to get rid of this current embarrassment as soon as possible, pay a ransom, negotiate down a few prisoners to release, and then use all the present assets to develop and embed a strong kidnapping prevention and negation strategy. Once the model is proved in the North it can be modified for the East and the rest of the country.
Seconded
seconded as well sir!
I am in full agreement, we just have hold up our hands and say we really need the help, put aside petty self centred and parochial politics and get these girls.
I have far more confidence in the Israelis than anyone else. They don’t come with an agenda as they know what Islamic extremism/terrorism is all about.
Seconded, I would take Isreali experts over the rest.
as they come they should come with their Hermes drones on initial lease with a view to building up a locally-assembled and maintained(at least) fleet of them within 5 years
Oga Beegz, I agree with your analysis – save for the fact that we should not invite the Russians. They have been noticeably silent on this matter. If they do not of their own accord offer to provide us with assistance- we should not ask them- period.
The Russians are quite busy with their new conquest in Ukraine, and with Syria and their own terrorists. So I don’t think they are being silent to snob us.
My ogas, with or without the Ukrainian and Syrian conflicts on their hands, the Russians are not interested in our conflict. It’s even better they stay away. For obvious reasons i wont want to go deeper into that and i’m happy our government is careful while dealing with the Russos!
EXCELLENT READING – this should be a working document for the U.S STATE DEPARTMENT no less.
AMERICAN BOOTS ON NIGERIAN GROUND??
http://www.sunnewsonline.com/new/?p=63200
I don’t agree with the article on the basis of context! We cannot compared the 50s, 60s, 90s etc to the present era without first considering the context and it is not just DEFSEC, it is everything…I see too much talk of nostalgia with everything regarding Nigeria! This is not the same World anymore, a lot has changed….even the terrorists have changed. That is my only qualm with the article.
The russians have their hands full right now with Ukraine and are not likely to be seen in the same room with the Americans, however their view on terrorism especially HARDLINE hare EXTREMISM IS WELL KNOWN see CHECHNYA.
Just glad to see that BIBI’S BOYS are here.
Spokespersons of security forces paraded 5 suspects linked to the bombing of the Nyanya bus park on 14 April.
The blast killed about 70 people and left over a 100
hospitalised.
According to security forces, Ahmed Rufai Abubakar,
Muhammed Sani Isahq, Adamu Yusuf, Yau Saidu and Anas Isah were among those who collaborated to execute the bombing.
Security forces also announced a N25 million naira reward for the masterminds of the blast Rufai Abubakar Tsiga and Aminu Sadiq Ogwuche who are now at large.
dailytrust.info/news/23847-security-forces-parade-nyanya-bombing-suspects
Great job.
I love it when the suspects have names.
In this case, it appears BH used a local cell or gang. The alternative would have been driving to Nyanya from one of their forest hideouts.
If it’s a local cell or gang, DSS are pretty good at take those down.
BH usually find it more difficult to reestablish their urban cells once they are taken down.
Oga jimmy, the russians still have major challenges in Degastan and the entire north caucuses.
http://in.reuters.com/video/2014/05/12/boko-haram-offers-to-swap-kidnapped-nige?videoId=312915518&videoChannel=101. Latest videos of the Chibok girls
BH is asking for prisoner swap
Oga Jimmy, Would this be the same Russians who fought two bloody wars to stop Chechen self determination yet are now sending troops left right and centre for Crimean and Eastern Ukrainian self determination.
Oga I’ve said it once, twice a hundred times.Nobody, particularly Africans and especially Nigeria has any friends or allies. We are a commodity and the sooner we understand that and start valuing ourselves instead of allowing others to value us the better.
Everyone is after the same thing. The only problem with the west is they are tied up int their own bullshit and the hypocrisy of a ruthless realpolitik foreign policy does not chime well with open, liberal societies. Putin dey laugh. Not because he is doing anything any more ruthless than anyone else but becauese he knows he does not need to fight eections or deal with an annoying local media.
On the purely operational side when you consider Beslan, The Moscow theatre, Budyonnovsk, Kizlyar-Pervomayskoye, then maybe you will understand that the Russians are possibly not subject matter experts on mass hostage rescues.
Personally, I would stick with US, UK, France, but on a very short leash and a very short time frame
Oga peccavi, seconded!!!
The foreigners are here already. The FG are unlikely to ask them to pull back in favour of a PMC. So what is the way forward from here? I suggest we hand out roles according to the known propensity of the contingents to claim the glory.
– Britain limited to air recce and no more…the last nation which should be allowed to put boots on the ground or carry out any air strikes. That would be the costliest mistake ever made in multilateral cooperation by the Nigerian military.
– USA should be allowed to train counterinsurgency units, cooperate with Nigerian combat engineers on base fortification and they should be be allowed to deploy full ISTAR assets
– France should go into the neighbouring countries and organise their response, help with training and air strikes there.
– Israel could support with advice on tactics and with training COIN troops
– China…satellite and drone surveillance. Kit…tents, 60mm mortars, 14.5mm AAMGs
My people this is what I recommend about 2 weeks ago…Israeli help for Nigeria should have been contracted covertly before our international shame was magnified by western televisions and twitter. Then we just tell other countries to support Israel with aircraft and drones only. Most people don’t know Borno state has sizeable indigenous Christian population, so Israelis will be welcome. Anybody in Nigeria who complains about Israeli help should become the target of all those protesters we see on the streets and social media, and 5,000 protesters should march to his house to shame him with journalists videos of the protest, such a person should be declared an enemy of Nigeria and a supporter of Boko Haram. Na only him read Al-Qur’an? We too read am and our head no turn fanatic into “zan sayad da mata”.
Israeli COIN experts I welcome you to Nigeria on behalf of the God fearing people in northern Nigeria…Barkan ku da zuwa, but if still in flight on the way…Asauka lafiya acikin kasar Nigeria.
The enemy of my enemy, is my friend.
Israel has no friends, only interests!
I say this as someone who counts great Israelis like Moshe Dayan, Ariel Sharon as role models.
If you were a small multiply persecuted people such a policy would make absolute sense
My ogas on top,oga peccavi, my comments appear to be mis interpreted.Let me clarify because of what is going on in the ukraine the russians especially their special forces have their hands full.Added to the personal dislike, and downright disdain and contempt putin has for obama it is not racial it is personal russian intel are not anytime likey to be seen in the same country with us personnel.
I believe this is one of the few times that we will see american interests converge with that of our clueless govt hence we should now make our requests public via cnn ,bbc and abc if they are going to deny us nonlethal aid let them do not through the backdoor let them do on cnn.
Oga Jimmy, even if the Russians were not busy in Ukraine and the US were not involved in this rescue bid, the Ruskies wouldn’t have offered any help. Have you heard any Russian government statement condemning the abduction or on BH in general? Ordinarily a 10 man tracking team of the GRU MoD unit can come in handy.
I want to advice all my ogas here to keep the Russians out of any list of countries that could help out now!
Very consequential Christian minority in Borno…clustered around southern Borno in the areas closest to Adamawa and Taraba. Borno South is also the most populous of the three senatorial districts in that state.
Chibok is itself a Christian majority community. That was why the 180-person list of the abducted girls which was released by n-CAN had 165 Christians in it. There were only 15 muslims on that list.
Gwoza, Mandara Mts, Askira-Uba, Kerawa and Biu all have a very large indigenous Christian population and they probably constitute the majority in that area when the average is computed.
Significantly, that is currently the most volatile part of that big state. They are unlikely to have any issues with the Israelis.
beegeagle, well noted we are always given the impression that there almost zero Christians in the North, it does make you wonder why certain areas are being attacked more than others, is there a political as well as religious a agenda.
I really do wonder, there have been unsubstantiated whispers about who sponsors Boko.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/is-boko-haram-an-intelligence-asset-terror-attack-in-nigeria-opens-door-to-africom/5381612
Oga Jimmy, I just wanted to use the opportunity to point out that Russia has great expertise but also a huge amount of failure and baggage in this type of operation.
Russia has however greatly improved is SOF in the recent years, he ones you saw in Crimea were their SF.
Personally my choice would be this
Mapping and geodata: get the US/ UK/ Canada to assist in setting up and training a mapping and geo department and accurately map the entire AO and if possible the rest of the North and Nigeria, set up a image interpretation centre. Then they should go. China to be asked to provide additional imaging over the years to cover gaps in resolution and coverage by Nigerian satellites
SIGINT and ELINT: UK and US, combined with the mapping,one can build a picture of Boko Haram pattern of life, activities and areas of operation.
Combat forces: US/ UK The UK has the best record on SF actions in Africa and the best record on planning and control of these types of incidents. their relative poverty also means their style is better suited to Nigeria’s means, than the tech heavy US.
UK to train in planning and coordination and basic low level skills and tactics. US/ UK to conduct company to battalion type training. For SF I would (obviously) say UK.
However I would strongly suggest tie in from South Africa, the experience from both sides of the Border Wars- SWAPO&,Recces both masters at infiltration and operating against superior numbers far behind enemy lines, Koevet/ 32 Bn, brilliant in tracking and destroying enemy units and taking the fight to them (Oga Doziex calm down! Water don pass gari)
HUMINT: France/ Israel: France has unparalleled operational experience and links through its FranceAfrique waka waka over the years in exactly our area of interest. They have a specialised unit dedicated to HUMINT and infiltration that has been in the area since last year, I think the Israeli HUMINT methods would chime more with France and would be more useful to us than US/ UK which will be so tied up in red tape you would need 3 Generals and the Presidents daughter to sign a piece of paper before you can give a captive a drink of water
Dress and marching: Ghana
How much of this we can get for free and how much we pay for is up for grabs. The US is charging us $400,000 for a 35 day Ranger battalion training package. Not sure what that will achieve
“Dress and marching: Ghana” LMAO. Oga Peecavi, wetin Ghana do you?
Nothing oh, but na trouble dem dey find.
Oga peccavi ose pupo (Thank you) .I really mean that seriously.About Russia no they are not coming to help us.However it does not mean we cannot learn from them.Let us go back 10 years when tiny Georgia siezed disputed territory from Russia. The biggest lesson from that coflict was not how soon Russia would reclaim the land (24 hours) but the fact Russian officers used their own personal cell phones to relay orders. An enraged putin made sure that when ths Ukraine crisis started he had eaten his fat toad. Russian special forces had the most up todate equipment right down to their communication equipment.this is the lesson Nigeria has to learn,this is the toad (chibok) that they have to swallow. Incidentally it is already being reported on the cnn ticker taper that us surveillance planes are already flying over Nigeria so some help is being given. T-Mobile. America’s First Nationwide 4G Network
“Dress and marching: Ghana”. My eyes dey red with laugh Oooo… Oga peccavi have mercy, please… Kai…
Oga peccavi and co beegeagle bloggers,
I am accepting mea culpas at my office from 2pm to 10 pm. (LOL)
Feel free to leave your apology on this blog.
Guys, I mean the man (colonel Eeben Barlow) has been blogging with us for months,
As oga peccavi just stated, we know what he and his colleagues represent.
But folks trashed any suggestion of nigeria contracting STTEP in the name of national pride.
So, where is the national pride on this thread ?
Why all the backtracking ?
You see, the other day, colonel Eeben revealed that he made an offer to FGN, and his offer was turned down.
I wonder how much the naysayers on this blog had to do with it ?
This is the thread I was hoping for, a sober and realistic discuss on the issue of expert help for NA, in the realm of counterinsurgency.
(1) Admit that we need help.
(2) pros and cons of a PMC vs nation state Involvement.
We could have given those that follow us a good researched expose on this topic, and could have influenced events for the better.
Anyway, it’s clear you guys prefer foreign intervention, and all that jingoist chest thumping was…………
NOW THAT SOME BULLSHIT.
Oga Doziex:
Not sure I have ever advocated or preferred foreign intervention.
But unless you are not paying attention, the foreigners are already here.
As I have said they all have their tasks and objectives so it is imperative we do the same
I have consistently advocated applying/ modifying SA/ Rhodesian tactics for frontline units along side a UK type approach to COIN/ Stabilisation. I’m happy for you to give me any evidence to the contrary.
If Nigeria defines a doctrine and then sees a gap in capability that they need to call a PMC to develop then no problem.
If Nigeria sits down and decides we have $20bn, lets buy Su27s because Uganda has them, lets buy submarine because Algeria has them, lets buy Tavors for frontline troops because they look cool, ignoring any sort of specs or requirements, lets buy Merkavas, because the Israelis kick ass so if we have their tanks we will kick ass by default and then realises halfway through that they can’t operate the kit and we need to hire PMCs to operate or maintain it then yeah, I have a massive problem.
You are fixated on PMC’s oga. They are A solution to a problem, I say again A solution.
but we need to define the problem first, not just take the solution and sellotape it to every conceivable issue.
I can only apologise for a lack of cold beer and suya. Nothing more!
CNN GO TO CHIBOK
http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/12/world/africa/nigeria-boko-haram-chibok-journey
everyone here is cheering and singing. all these applauds need to calm a bit down. have any of you, for just one second, think about the big picture? the greater ramifications of opening our borders fully to these countries?
lets try and sit down for a minute and think about this BH madness. this is just the perfect opportunity these people have been waiting for. now we have the whole world singing about Nigeria and sending aid to Nigeria.
as i type, the Americans have already started flight operations and intelligence gathering on our north east borders. this is just the beginning. we really do not know what we have signed for.
with the exception of Israel, WE DO NOT NEED HELP FROM ANYONE.
yes, the israelis have their own agenda, however, their ambitions is completely separate from finances and contracts. we should get the Israelis in. the three countries we should definitely stay away from: USA, UK, FRANCE.
I weep for this country. even if our leaders are trying to checkmate their political opponents, it still doesn’t call for all this external invitation to weaken the house. we are opening our doors to long term anarchy.
if you guys really think that the abduction of 200 school girls has suddenly turned these vultures to saints, then real politik is completely alien to Nigerians.
the design these peeps have for Nigeria is gradually unfolding and we are being naive and blind towards these agendas.
I feel much better with the isrealies in this effort.i have almost gone numb and heavily cautious with this massive camoflaged media strategy by the west africom in disguse.we’ve made our mistakes and we should now clean up this mess.i always suspected western influence especially from france and wikileaks article confirmed it.the plot and motive fits into the picture totally.we must tread carefully.and we have some good news in some sense.the mastermind,of nyanya bomblast have been arrested.five with two on the run and worst of all one of them is a deserter from the NA intel unit in lagos.lng live FRN
Oga Buchi, Israelites no longer exist, what exactly did wikileaks say about France?
“If a man spends too much time defeacating he should expect to see strange flies swaming around him”–Yoruba proverb
in as much as I appreciate the offer of help frm these world powers, I will insist that we thread with caution. Nigeria is a highly sensitive country (esp the North) and it doesn’t take much to whip up religious sentiment. That can lead to a very large conflagration that will make this insurgency look like dress rehersal.
The northern cabals knows how the average northerner thinks. He knows he can make an average almajiri on the street literaly ‘attack an M1A1 with daggers if he can just mention words like ‘Crusaders’, ‘Great Satan’, ‘Infidels’ ‘Jihad’ or fake an oyinbo soldier urinating on any arabic book . Nobody will even bother to check ithe book is the Holy Quran or not!
I will advise that the iinvolvement and contributions of this ‘coalition of the able/willing’ be strictly limited to ;
1) Equipment and training of CI-CTU/Rangers by USA
2) Training/Mentoring of our Intelligent Agencies by Isreal. Our intelligent agencies can learn a lot from the Isreali Mossad . ‘BY THE WAY OF DECEPTION, WE SHALL WAGE WAR’ and that is exactly what they have been doing ;From USS Liberty in 1967 till date! But the numer of double agent dem go make dey fear me!
3) ELINT/HUMINT by UK ( UK has a faily large population of Nigerians in their military that can assist with HUMINT. My Oga peccavi, pls confirm) regardless of the bothched Kano rescue mission, the Brits don te for Africa o since d era of LRDG. The SBS is still the template.
4) IFV/APC and other Non-lethals frm China. Its also good to know we have a dependable ally who won’t just leave us hanging dry when it matters most because one Mopol slapped a girl at Idumota!
5) My Ogas, let’s not underestimate the Canadians. The fact that they mind their business and share the longest undefended border with the USA nothwithstanding. They have immense capability in ELINT and SIGINT fashioned after GHQC.
Also, we should remember that ‘free lunch’ was banned a few centuries ago and start counting the cost of all these offer of assistance. Both immidiate and remote. It will cost us dearly.
But, I just feel ‘too many cooks……..”
Oga Doziex, let me play the 10th man…..Can you highlight for us on this blog how STTEP can contribute (in Strategy and actual field solution). Please, real life scenarios!!!!
Oga optimus prime,
It is simply the unique comprehension of the insurgency battle space that makes them worth their weight in gold.
In SLR, with all due honour to the sacrifices of brave NA troops, this comprehension of the battle space was none existent.
Which led to ineffective attempts to engage with, or contain the enemy.
A conventional mind set would suggest that troops be spread all over, since no one can tell were or when the insurgents would strike.
But seasoned counterinsurgency ops specialists like STTEP, or the EO of yore, would be comfortable and not confused by this rhythm.
Using air mobile and behind enemy line patrol tactics, they SEEK, CLOSE, and ENGAGE with the insurgents.
This is a surgical method of countering insurgents.
Today, BH roams around in trucks, technicals and apcs unperturbed.
They retreat to their lair in the sambisa forests, at the time of thier choosing.
They emerge, and engage in raids and ambushes when they want.
STTEP and it’s other incarnations, would reorient our units to flip the script on BH.
This is not easy, and most well trained conventional soldiers of any country, wouldn’t do it.
Our spec ops troops, now become the insurgents, they insert 4 man teams deep in the sambisa forests where they can observe and report, conduct ambushes of BH patrols, lead surgical raids on their forested hide outs etc
Now, they are harassing BH leadership, and disrupting their planning cycle or abilities.
They are too busy trying to stay alive, to be burning down towns, or kidnapping school girls.
They may be tempted to form larger units to defend against our spec ops raids, but those large units would be answered prayers for the NA, which can easily fix and destroy them.
Shekau seems to be cunning, and like Sam Bokarie of the RUF, relishes his seeming ability to run circles around the NA.
What STTEP brings to the table, is designed for the likes of him.
In maidugri, this reorientation, would eliminate the prevailing confusion that exists.
Low tech, but high mobility tracking techniques would be used against BH.
We will now be on them as the white on rice.
The hunter will become the hunted
This would now give us the breathing space to reassert control over the roads and towns.
This was done in sierra Leone, angola, and uganda.
They Americans are offering to stand up ranger units, with similar qualities, but in 35 days? With no un going mentorship ?
Say we engage a PMC like STTEP, how many days or weeks or months would they commit to the country? What exactly would be their role? How can we balance their role with our countries various sectional interest and fears? Would they be training the entire Nigerian Army or would it be limited to a few? Would this training(COIN based) not affect the capacity or capability of our Soldiers to engage in conventional warfare?
Another set of fair questions optimusprime007. Whereas I cannot answer on behalf of another PMC or even a government, allow me to state the following:
1. Time-duration in a country is determined by the government and not by STTEP. It depends what is required of us. Any PMC or government that claims it can train specialist units in a few weeks is very obviously lying as the selection of such troops ought to take at least 2 weeks. We have turned down requests from governments who have expected us to train specialist units in a few weeks as our name and reputation is tied to what we deliver at the end of the day. Besides, as we deploy with those troops, we will hardly want to be with untrained men.
2. Our role will be dependent on what a government requires from us. It can vary from advice and input into the national security strategy, to advice and input into operational designs to doctrine development to training to in-field deployment and mentoring of troops we have trained.
3. Balancing our role: Again, that is determined by the government but to imagine that we will travel to your country to upset your vital and national interests is misunderstanding our role.
4. No person, PMC or government will be able to “retrain” your entire armed forces. So, it will be limited to a specific, contractually agreed programme that can focus on the restructuring and retraining of a battle group to a Special Operations Group. As an example, in Angola in 1993, the FAA faced a 90 000-strong UNITA force. My old company (EO) trained a composite warfare brigade to end that war and force a surrender of UNITA.
5. And where are you currently engaged in a conventional land battle? But, to answer your concerns – No, it won’t affect your conventional doctrine.
What happened with BH is a perfect example of a lack of intelligence, a lack or predictive intelligence and a lack of understanding your enemy’s intentions. This is not a criticism as it can happen anywhere – and has even happened to ISAF.
Trying to train men now to resolve the current problem will not work so, as a company, we would not even look at that. It basically boils down to “too little, too late” as the horse has already bolted.
As mentioned previously, we submitted a proposal, warned of what was potentially coming and set out how to prevent it. That proposal cannot now be implemented as the time-line has dramatically shifted.
Rgds,
Eeben
Well, oga optimusprime007, we have heard from the horse’s mouth.
During the period of at least one year I was advocating for PMC help for NA,
I said that we had to act before it was too late.
STTEP boss has now confirmed it too late for a training mentorship relationship.
What probably remains, is the more muscular role EO played in angola and sierra leone.
This would require command authority and active STTEP combatants , that is if they are still interested in Nigeria.
I guess we made our bed, we are going to have to lay in it.
After all, nigerians like to solve problems the long, hard , bloody way.
But with BH, it will be long and bloody indeed.
We crying about the International embarrassment caused by the school girls kidnapping ?
Wait till you see what these bastards have for an encore.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/05/nyanya-blast-planned-executed-dss/
Imagine what the DSS can do with latest surveillance hardware.
Excellent work by DSS!
It’s amazing how they are able to track these individuals down to even isolated villages.
I wonder if the Nyanya cell of BH conceived the idea for the bombing, or was it initiated from Sambisa forest by the BH leader.
That is a fair question, optimusprime007.
As mentioned, we submitted a proposal to your government in 2012. That was ignored – in fact, it was not even answered despite warnings that trouble was looming and that the time to prepare was now (then).
Bear in mind, we are Africans from South Africa. Nigeria is not our home-country – what we do we do for Africa in general as this is where we live. We don’t come with agendas (never have), we don’t represent foreign interests, we don’t sell equipment…If our intelligence or offers are rejected by your government that is okay with us as it is not us that must endure what is happening now but we too are Africans and we want Africa to succeed.
However, we watch with sadness as your great country grapples to deal with a problem that has been allowed to get to where it now is. We watch with sadness how your great military has found itself at a disadvantage. We watch with sadness when your citizens are murdered and kidnapped as you are part of Africa – where we all live.
I have no intention of using this blog to market STTEP or discuss our record with other African governments. That is not why this blog was established – nor is it something my friend Beegeagle intended when he started this blog. Besides, much of that is “under the radar” and we will never discuss where we work.
Any offer to help that does not look at revisiting the national security strategy in total, coupled to structuring, training and equipping small, mobile units to hunt the enemy and apply relentless pursuit supported with on-call close air support and a reaction force will be help that is not aimed at resolving the problem.
One can spend billions in equipment purchases but if the strategy, doctrine, operational designs and TTPs are not firmly in place, the money will be ill-spent.
Let me repeat what I wrote in an earlier post – something Sun Tzu wrote more than 5000 years ago: “ ‘The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy’s not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable’. If we are caught unprepared, it is because we lack intelligence and we have no strategy. This places us in a reactive state and continually gives the enemy the initiative. Spending money on equipment and technology without structure and training is rather senseless. As has been proven over and over again, ‘tactics without strategy and structure is merely noise’”.
The fact that your government does not wish to speak to us doesn’t affect us. Our only hope is that your government makes wise decisions. After all, your armed forces have been the beneficiaries of foreign training for several years. I hate to admit it but it does not seem to have been of much help at all.
That is however not the fault of the NA as soldiers can only do what they are trained to do. If they are trained to have “the look” but are not trained to take a fight to the enemy, then the training has been in vain.
If victory is achieved by anyone other than the NA, it will be a hollow victory and will expose your country to even more acts of terror. (Remember, I once said on this blog that Nigeria was the prize?)
Sometimes, taking a harsh look at reality can be painful. We know that.
Regardless, we want Nigeria to succeed and not be side-tracked by threats that enjoy foreign sponsorship.
Rgds,
Eeben
‘One can spend billions in equipment purchases but if the strategy, doctrine, operational designs and TTPs are not firmly in place, the money will be ill-spent.’
‘Spending money on equipment and technology without structure and training is rather senseless. As has been proven over and over again, ‘tactics without strategy and structure is merely noise’”.’
Oga Eeben, thank you.
When I say it, its because I’m a British spy, hopefully people will listen to you.
Abeg resubmit your proposal. Considering the fact the US is charging $400,000 for a 35 day battalion training package, I suspect we would get infinitely better value for money from your effort
I would suggests a proposal should be submitted not just on training,proper procurement, with one asterik the eventual capture of shekau,not the elimination,the capture of shekau. Yusuf was captured only to be executed by over zealous Policemen. Oga optimusprime much respect for your comments and indeed I really struggle especially after you called us beegeagle bloggers out. I am going to be cold blooded and keep my faith in God and the sheer bravery of the uncommon bravery of the nigerian soldier . Let me be very empathetic here I am a parent, and I hold oga peccavi in very high regard,but one kidnapping begats another kidnapping.a rescue as dangerous as it is is the only way forward a dead girl has no value to bh. This war will not be won by orthodox methods it will be won by unconventional,ruthless methods. T-Mobile. America’s First Nationwide 4G Network
Now is the time for action and not for proposals, jimmy.
Let’s rather wait and see what happens now.
Rgds,
Eeben
Thank you, peccavi but we do not wish to be another company running around in Nigeria. A decision was taken at political level to disregard our proposal and not to consider us – we respect that. Our style has never been to force ourselves on a government. Besides, with so many “specialists” now racing off to Nigeria, it might become difficult to get a seat on the aircraft.
Rgds,
Eeben
For many reasons I would advise you to make it a gradual market entry strategy.
1. Start with a few training seminars for middle ranking officers so that the hierarchy gets a feel for your company. The first two seminars should be free. Topics selected for the seminars should be topical and impactful to current problems experienced in the NE campaign or Niger delta. Subsequent seminars after the first two can be chargeable.
2. At each one week training seminar, spend half of a day introducing offerings you think will feel gaps in existing capabilities. This is the selling stage.Please limit the services offerings to the COIN space initially. Nigeria is still sensitive to our mutual historical ‘issues’ and the officers need time to ‘feel’ you out before letting you into the larger strategic operational space.
3. Based on surveys you conduct during the seminars, and discussions you generate, develop more training programs/seminars and start targeting your offerings at perceived gaps. Start making a push for the first consultancy work.
4. At this point, you need to incorporate locally and get a respected and very patriotic retired Nigerian armed forces officer of suitable seniority as Chairman.
At this point a lot of background work should be going on that you won’t know about. – security checks, vetting et.c.
5. Write a complete proposal for each of your offerings – training, advisory, field support, arms sales, logistics improvement or actual combat operations. The delivery and value case should be sensitive to the Nigerian host government concerns of sovereignty, national security and value for money.
I think this is the way to approach things.
Downside is that it is slow, maybe 18 months to break into all the avalanche market segments.Upside is that it is very profitable, you stay for the long haul and don’t even have to bring your own money.
*available*
Thank you – I cannot fault your approach, Are James.
However, as mentioned to peccavi, with so many companies and governments running around in Nigeria at this time, it might take weeks to get someone to present the seminars to. (Just joking!)
Seriously thought, we understand the historical issues of many of the countries on our continent as we have worked in many of them. However, a decision was taken at the political level by your government and we will never interfere with or attempt to influence such decisions.
We will simply watch and see what happens now. If your government at some time in the future wishes to speak to us, then I am sure they will initiate the approach. Until then, we can only hope for the best for your country.
Rgds,
Eeben
Aseblief Meneer resubmit your proposal, probably concentrate on search and destruction of enemy supplies plus continuous detection of point of infiltration by the enemies ? how can you do this in such a wide area ? how about the language barrier ?
One cannot use a band-aid on a chest wound makanaky but thanks for your suggestion. We have worked in very large jungles before both within Africa and beyond. There are methods that enhance one’s actions and they do not entail the throwing of technology at the problem.
Language issues have never posed a problem as we have worked in many different AOs with many different languages.
Rgds,
Eeben
.
I wonder what will happen if a US expert is killed or captured? Have anyone thought of that?
US media is still doing propaganda against our military
Actually it seems it is only a part of that media, I think some people are politicking about us in the US. The exposure of the true color of bh makes some people (potential presidential candidate hilary clinton) look bad.
My Dear Col Eeben sir,
Some months ago, I posted here about the ‘pride’ (arrogance ?) of an average Nigeria. Do you still remember sir?
Which one do you think is ‘sexier’, more catchy and more flamboyant?;
A) Nigeria forces is being rained by the largest coalition of top world military experts including US Navy Seals, Rusian Spetnaz, British SAS, Indian MARCOS etc’.
B) Nigeria forces are being trained by a South African based PMC.
A) Nigerian forces receives training worth $100 Million from top world militaries .
B)Nigeria forces being trained on a $500 Thousands by an Afican PMC.
Oga Eeben, this is a country that will import 1,000 units of BMW salon cars to impress participants coming for a tournament! A feat that the largest economy in the world is yet to beat!
We are a people that like to display the largest sport jersey in the world even though our National team is never well prepared for tournaments.
We are a people that will construct the biggest Steel complex in Africa (on-going for some 35 years now) instead of constructing three or four small ones.
We want to construct a new banquet hall for N4 Billion, not because the current one is dilapidated, but because smaller African countries are “threatning our national security’ by having larger ones!
The examples are too numerous to count.
We are a people that also believe that anything brought across the Atlantic is definitely ‘superiour’ to anything that can be obtained in Africa. That is why Nigerian textiles, made within Nigeria are first ‘exported’ to Benin republic, and then deliberately ‘re-imported’, only to be sold at x 5 the original prize as Swizz made!. And that is why our government will shun Peugeot, Innoson, ANAMCO etc and keep importing Toyota, Lexus, Nissan etc for government officials!
The combination of ‘Mass megalomania’ , ‘religiosity’ and ‘kleptocary’, and ‘colonial mentality’ does not work well in building a nation.
Your sins Col Eeben,?
1) You are an African
2) PMC is African
3) Your fee is probably modest (hence it wont leave much room for ‘kick-backs’)
4) Your company’s name is not ‘coooool’ enough. Not as col as MARCOS, COBRA, SPETNAZ, SEAL, DEVGRU.
These are my people, I know how we think sir.
May God save Nigeria.
Thank you, Spirit. I do recall your post on pride – and national pride is critically important, especially in times when a nation faces threats as it allows for the development of national pride.
As for my sins: You are spot on. You can add to that strategic, operational and tactical success – something that appears to be frowned on beyond our continent’s shores.
Rgds,
Eeben
I forgot to add: You can add to that strategic, operational and tactical success – something that appears to be frowned on beyond our continent’s shores – especially if it is achieved by Africans..
Bless you a thousand xxxxxx
Story number one
http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/160700-borno-villagers-foil-boko-haram-attack-kill-insurgents.html
Story number two
http://www.nigerianwatch.com/news/4394-over-200-boko-haram-terrorists-killed-by-local-borno-state-villagers-in-fightback
Are these the same story twisted or is there a general uprising in the NE
The backlash seems to be starting, hope you all knew it would come anyway
Since the attack and kidnapping at Chibok happened, it was only yesterday that the NA established presence in that town – that is exactly four weeks after the kidnapping and that was because CNN complained about it. You guys can continue cheerleading a team that has walked away from the field of play . I will face and tell the bitter truth
What do you expect villagers in the NE to do? Even if they run to Cameroon, BH is there. So why not stand and fight.
Expect a complete capitulation next week as the FG attempts to hand over leadership of field operations to storm Sambisa and free the girls to the Americans, Britiish or Israelis.
These countries may refuse completely or push the PMC option on us which may not be accepted by the NA. So I foresee a release of BH prisoners to free the girls.
After this is done, the shit hits the fan.
CORRUPTION WEAKENS A NATION.
http://www.strategypage.com/qnd/nigeria/articles/20140511.aspx
http://saharareporters.com/news-page/soldiers-mutiny-maiduguri
Really sad.
@Igbi should look at this one as well.
I saw this report also from BBC News,that NA NCOs fired-upon their officers in the NE.
Well Oga Eeben you are right unfortunately, I would suggest that if you turned up in Nigeria now, you would most likely not be let out of the airport!
My views on PMCs are well known but seeing as we are going cap in hand to people who will train an entire battalion in 35 days (maybe they wont sleep) personally I’d rather we tapped proven expertise. My views on SADF/ Rhodesian tactics are again known so I don’t think I’m being excessively hypocritical.
But it is wishful thinking, we will have of 35 day wonders, lots of press interest until Jay Z and Beyoncé divorce then all the press will leave.
All fairly depressing.
Oga Are James: e be like you no sabi Nigerians. We are already trading blame and conspiracy theories, even after all this embarrassment we cannot even put out a consistent response to Shekaus video.
Oga Beeg: MRAPs still get ambushed and taken out. They are big heavy, fuel thirsty fiddly pieces of kit, there are better fighting vehicles out there that are cheaper and more fit for purpose. I would prefer a wheeled, fighting vehicle that has speed, cross country ability, protection and firepower. The Otokar Cobra is ideal, the land cruisers are beginning to outlive their usefulness
Ambushes are defeated by (a) not getting ambushed, which means good planning, intelligence and tactics (b) getting out of the killing zone, counter attacking as quickly as possible, for that you don’t want a heavy lumbering MRAP but a snappy IFV
Is this really true because if this is true, then it is a fiasco
1. News of communities carrying on self-protection and the work of an army effectively
2. News of soldiers’ munity because of lack of welfare
igbi abeg I dey wait for your defense and insults on this matter
As for me, I am already castrated with my balls in my mouth, I dey shame and fear. Not ashamed to say it here. These thing are still a new reality (although the hand writing has been on the wall since the time corruption took its foot hold on society and men could settle for less)
1.On my way home tonight, if I am attacked there shall be no rescue
2.If my family comes under attack, they would not be rescued
3.Even if my village is held down for 4 hours, help would not come until we stand up and f^(*%!
4.My loss is my loss and your loss is your loss
5.What goes around does not come around until we experience it 1st hand
– The question is what do we do as a people now not tomorrow
– I think we need complete social reengineering in all phases of life in Nigeria
– How do you say a man who can let another man bleed to death in an emergency situation because he has not been paid to be operated or a pregnant woman in labour with a bridged baby is not attended to because her husband cannot raise the balance 50k of a 100k. How is that well trained and well educated Medical Doctor different form Sekau
As the likes of some unfortunate many others waiting around for the abomination that makes desolate, pontificating a postulating, hoping against hope. I say wait and see
As for me I would simply #DO THE RIGHT THING always #DOTHERIGHTTHING or die trying
#Bring back our girls is a water shed. I think things are going to change soon.
Something interesting has happened / is happening to the NA and other security services and we should get to the root of it. All my crazy conspiracy theories make more sense than the unfortunately reality that we are seeing on ground every day. So I have some new theories.
*unfortunate reality*
#DO THE RIGHT THING starts with # FACE THE TRUTH ABOUT YOUR COUNTRY
Nation states all over the world are getting weaker progressively with many disastrous consequences for citizens but the causes of own problems are just unacceptable – Corruption, Tribalism, Ethnicity. These problems are begging for a national leader to unite everybody behind a glorious vision and provide fair and corruption free gov’t.
When you see isolated communities in the NE and the CNTF using ”extra natural means” to defend their communities because the soldiers just aren’t coming, then you should expect a gradual descent to anarchy in that region. This is Liberia and Sierra Leone all, over again.
As for your concern for personal security in an atmosphere of governmental indifference, as a Christian i would advise you that prayers are very effective when done in the name of Christ..
http://af.reuters.com/article/nigeriaNews/idAFL6N0O054220140514?sp=true
AMBUSH PROTECTION again….reason why troops are angry with their GOC. I asked recently, how come no Oga is talking MRAPs in the face of so many of those useless soft-skinned 4WD vans? If IED attacks have abated, episodes if ambush are increasing.
MRAP means Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle. Does anyone still doubt their relevance in that theatre or should we still go minimalist?
Last time that mutinous soldiers shot at their Commander was on the night of July 28th 1966 when Lt Colonel Gabriel Okonweze who was the helmsman in the Recce+Arty garrison was killed. It snowballed into the very bloody coup of 29th July, 1966.Nigeria…learn from your history.
Some of those who witnessed the events of that day include a certain Brig. Gen John Shagaya, who as an ex-boy soldier of the Nigerian Military School and then a Lance Cprl reportedly fired the first shot on the night. He later got selected for officer training in March 1967 as part of the SSC 1 alongside the likes of late John Inienger and Tanko Ayuba, also ex-boy soldiers, all of whom were commissioned in Sept 1967 and deployed to the war front.
Others who witnessed the carnage at Abeokuta include Colonel Peters J. Okoli and his coursemate Maj Gen Bagudu Mamman and General DY Bali. They are all alive today and happily retired. They might need to remind us about what transpired on that bloodiest of nights as our nation plays with fire in the name of chasing after competing demands at an inauspicious time.
Time to pay serious attention to the training, welfare and reequipping of our military.
Even Kenya was able to retool to fight Al Shabah with a budget far less than ours.
An anecdotal post on you tube shows it all – clumsy but effective neutralization of what could have been a serious ambush by using remote control weapon stations (machine guns and grenade launchers) from inside the MRAP by a Kenyan army unit.
Why don’t we have these types of vehicles deployed for the 7th division.
NAH WAH NAH WAH WAH
SMH
Breakdown before things get well they will get bad again another story, the truth we shall not know till much later, A TWO STAR GENERAL being shot at is very , very serious, we have called for repeatedly on this blog for the complete, unconditional removal of the soft skinned toyota hiluxes still to no avail ehh nah becos oyinbo nefer tell us make we do am no so nah because of competing demands.
What is it going to take to get this right HA!
After so many years of complaint and barrage of suggestions to the NA, why are the Hilux still in the North of Nigeria ? I will say it again the NA top echelon don’t know what is needed to prosecute this war successfully.
I will not patrol in such soft skin vehicle if I am soldier sent to the NE as it amounts to suicide and if compelled I will do the same.
Please lets lift the morale of our men in uniform as this incident is very dangerous at this time. We don’t need a mutiny or division within our forces.
Every contributor to Beegeagle blog knows where our MRAPs are and why they are there.
Where are they please?
UN peace keeping missions.
I believe they are now mandatory requirements to protect soldiers of participating countries and Nigeria is not left out. Now Nigeria makes a cool $6000 per month for each vehicle fielded, so do the math. Where would you send your first batch of APC or MRAP?
This is not to talk of the personnel allowance per soldier of close to $200 per day which has provoked industrial action (yes, soldiers going on strike) a few times.
The question is why would the UN value the lives of our soldiers more than ourselves?.
Recall the embarrassment we got for fielding some poor quality APCs some years back.
The callousness is becoming unacceptable and we can all keep quiet or we join hands to save the impressive institution from itself.
In any case people will start asking even more fundamental questions of the army because of all the field problems coming from Boko Hiram. They are going to start looking back at actual field performance during UN peace missions, quality of troops fielded, performance during the Niger Delta operations and so on.
night ops are always dicey. best way to defeat an ambush is avoid it all together. combination of good intel and meticulous planning does help. but sometimes, even the best combat intelligence is not enough.
some troops tend to rely on reconnaissance by fire. why such indiscipline fire does protect against rag tag oppo forces (by at least spooking them to spring the ambush prematurely) , a disciplined enemy will hardly be fazed by such. on the other hand, it will act more as an alert tool for the enemy than any protection. especially when mines and IEDs are being used to trigger the ambush.
in an ambush, the best tactics is to drive into the kill zone with overwhelming firepower and force the enemy to take cover. dismounted troops, in joint reaction with supporting fire from their vehicles (AFVs and other troop carrier) will finish off the enemy force.
no soldier should be allowed near the AOR if they don’t thoroughly understand ambush and counter ambush drills. its the bread and butter of guerrilla and COIN warfare.
some of these troops by way of what has been said appear very green. A coin battle tested unit will never completely trust the words of locals. THIS IS TRULY BECOMING BAPTISM BY FIRE .Us troops have repeatedly been ambushed by Taliban troops, it is the method of response and back up reinforcement. ONE SOLDIER was honored two days ago for trying to save one of his comrades in arms, he did not succeed the fellow soldier died. he and his fellow soldiers were pinned down for 16 hours before help came.
There is also a well known Captain who was recently requested to go back into the name i sincerely forgot his name , long story short , got caught in an ambush , heroically saved his men called for back , called for airstrikes none came,got on the phone and went up the food chain cursing out COLONELS, BRIGADIERS AND WHAT HAVE YOU..
Instead of being given a fistful of medal he was eased outit took the intervention of you know who and the SEC OF DEF TO GET HIM BACK INTO SERVICE
My point is this coin ops are dirty , grimy , downright nasty and evil and will turn some men into savages, some army personnel despite all their training are not cut out for it, i have seen some blogs critiquing the sleeping arrangement like these guys are supposed to housed in the Sheraton,no we have an enemy who will sleep wherever and whenever and will kill without batting an eyelid, we honestly need to turn this debacle around and really , really train and equip these guys because before it gets better it is going to get a whole lot worse.
All said,
But let us say the truth here, if Mr. Bee for example did not bring up the tread of the 1B USD by Mr. President for rearmament, I do not think any of you on this tread (the Nigerians) would have mentioned it. Then what is the key issues? Value for MONEY. Has any person (Nigerian) in the tread tried to follow up and say this is where we are with this fund B/4 it goes into a black hole?
None that I know of (including me sadly).
What do our troops need now? Money to be spent on their fighting requirements. Who advocates that the funds are used pond for pond, value for value? How do we know what is procured from these funds (not on public domain).
Is this the 1st time such fund are released?
Ask around the cost of a J7s other countries acquired and how much our own was bought, what is the cost of road contruction in Ghana vs Nigeria, all we need is to #DO THE RIGHT THING
Or face decimation
As for the mutinous troops, sorry all but they should be made to face the full weight of the *&%, rather than shoot at a commander, they should speak up and out. Shooting at a commander is *&% but speaking up and out is at worst dismissal.
Speaking up and out is more helpful as people can start advocating a course.
All said,
But let us say the truth here, if Mr. Bee for example did not bring up the tread of the 1B USD by Mr. President for rearmament, I do not think any of you on this tread (the Nigerians) would have mentioned it. Then what is the key issues? Value for MONEY. Has any person (Nigerian) in the tread tried to follow up and say this is where we are with this fund B/4 it goes into a black hole?
None that I know of (including me sadly).
What do our troops need now? Money to be spent on their fighting requirements. Who advocates that the funds are used pond for pond, value for value? How do we know what is procured from these funds (not on public domain).
Is this the 1st time such fund are released?
Ask around the cost of a J7s other countries acquired and how much our own was bought, all we need is to #DO THE RIGHT THING
Or face decimation
As for the mutinous troops, sorry but they should be made to face the full weight of the *&%, rather than shoot at a commander, they should speak up and out. Shooting at a commander is *&% but speaking up and out is at worst dismissal.
Speaking up and out is more helpful as people can start advocating a course.
UNRELATED CONTENT
GHANA ARMED FORCES TAKE DELIVERY OF 12 HUNTER LIGHT STRIKE VEHICLES IN US$850,000 DEAL
Helmoed-Römer Heitman
Pretoria
IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly
14 May 2014
The South African company OTT Technologies has delivered 12 of its Hunter light strike vehicles to the Ghanaian Armed Forces under a ZAR8.75 million (USD850,000) contract, South African defence export documentation has revealed.
The Hunter uses the chassis of surplus SAMIL 20 light tactical trucks: a vehicle that was developed to provide South African Army sections with outstanding cross-country mobility.
The new vehicle is designed for raiding and patrol operations by special forces and similar units and has a road range of 800 km; the fuel which can be stored on the vehicle’s racks extends this by
another 480 km.
Now that is what I’m talking about
No this is not what we are talking about.
This looks like a special forces vehicle. Not enough protection for ordinary rank and file grunts.
Anyway, Nigerian generals have dug themselves into a big moral and professional hole if Ghana is acquiring specialized COIN vehicles even without an insurgency.
I will continue to mock them and shout in all available media until change happens.
Notice the unit price here = $70000.00, write that down somewhere, wait a few months to see the Nigerian equivalents and tell me if you don’t feel like shooting down some GOC somewhere yourself.
Are James, this is the Hunter light strike vehicle LSV). It is a high-mobility, heavily armed vehicle that is designed to accomplish numerous missions. It is not an MRAP, MPV, APC or IFV. It has a specific role in both conventional and COIN operations as the vehicle can be utilised not only for long-range patrols but also as a mobile fire-support base.
I wrote about this unique vehicle about 2 years ago on my blog and a few African countries have purchased it and deploy it with great success..
What Ghana is doing is preparing for the future much as the NA did by buying tanks.
Rgds,
Eeben
NO, Oga Peccavi, it is not what WE…the majority are talking about o. :-). D sojas wey go enta am o, na guinea pigs wey dem be? Haba, pity dem now.
It is just a glamorous and enlarged technical with multiple weapon mounts and holding bays for supplies such as fuel, water and rucksacks… nothing else…no useable protection. It will used by SF chaps where it is convenient to do so. In BH country, any naive SF commando would be DEAD AS DODO in those.
Abeg, this HAS NO PLACE in our arsenal if a leap forward from Hilux deathtraps is what we seek.Coming from a situation where a Colonel died in an ambush inside an APC, introducing these would be a death sentence. If we ever get these, it would be for SF raiding parties relying on the element of surprise to launch an attack and a well-designed Landcruiser gun-truck operating alongside APCs/MRAPs/IFVs achieves the same purpose. PROFORCE Leopard ACV does even better with its multiple weapon mounts.
What we need are GILA, Casspir, Puma M36 (NOT M26-15) and Tigr types of MRAP with sterner levels of mine and blast protection than the Otokar Cobra APC. It is not a game of monopoly. Mek we forget all this Britico v American approaches to COIN which underpins such outrageous prescriptions jare. Na pipo lives we dey play with so?
And if cheap be the consideration, the paymasters are not complaining. What are saving for? This is not about comparative COIN studies. Even Colonel Eeben used BMP-2 IFVs in Angola.
If I may, I wish to disagree with you, Beegeagle. This type of vehicle is a multi-role fire-support vehicle that has a particular role re deployment. Also, “owning the roads” is an approach that is fraught with danger and forces need to, where terrain allows it, have cross-country mobility. If the terrain does not allow vehicle movement, troops must be dismounted. Similar types of vehicles have been used in numerous conflicts in Africa with great success BUT it needs to be deployed correctly and not haphazardly.
I am not saying it is the correct vehicle for the NA but it can fulfill an important role in future NA operations.
Rgds,
Eeben
Oga Are James, its $850,000 for TWELVE units. Public procurement in Naija needs to become more transparent men,so we can judge performance and corruption ourselves as a people.
Meanwhile, FGN can seize this moment to start the beginnings of a strong local military industry by applying more resources towards this BH crisis. Nobody but Nigerians understand and can solve our national issues,so all this foreign help will eventually come to naught if we aint truthful to ourselves and engage more in self-help and development.
It will take a lot to prise the military establishment away from their soft skinned hilux vehicles. I am beginning to think someone has an “interest” in the continued procurement of such vehicles.
They have their uses behind the front line and there they should remain.
#WhereAreOurMRAPS, lol.
#where are our MRAP AND APC
Wait a minute
Let us ask one critical question here o!
What is the purchase price of one of the Hilux Vans? Or is it pick up
I mean the contract prize
Please can somebody tell me?
I go like know
1. Current Market Price of Hilux N____________
2. Army Purchase Cost of Hilux N____________
3. Cost of Cheapest Armored Car in Market Today N____________
Please does any have facts and figures (facts with sources)
not ideas please!!!!!!!!!!!
I am looking at 70833.33333333333 USD for one Hunter light strike vehicles, i.e. 12units / 850, 000 USD
http://www.cheki.com.ng/toyota-hilux-for-sale.html
CPM accorden to the above site could be as high as N6, 000, 000 for one hilux @ N162per/1USD that is about $37, 037.03703703704
Add VAT and WHT plus 20% profit (allowable reasonable profit for contracts any where in the world I guess).
O! do the maths your self please
http://www.army-guide.com/eng/product771.html
http://www.army-guide.com/eng/countrys.php?countryID=65
Let me answer your question for you.
Toyota Nigeria Limited and Elizade (maybe they are even the same company now I am not sure), anyway they have a monopoly on Toyota Hilux vehicle supply in Nigeria.
Very powerful operators.
The Chairman of TNL is one of the richest Nigerians and he does not have oil block. She’ll and other oil companies have standardized on Toyota Hilux for operations
Now, all countries using Toyota Hilux vehicles or similar class of vehicles are losing the COIN war; Pakistan is the worst offender but it can be excused that though technologically advanced, they do not have money for a lot of MRAPs, India is another offender and Yemen, …poor over manipulated Yemen.
The Toyota Hilux costs a little above N6,500,000.00. Nobody knows what the NA has paid for them. All we know is that the NA unwittingly supplied all of BH operational vehicles through capture, theft or actually buying them.
Cheap MRAPs (US MRAPs are too expensive) cost about $350000.00 but can carry three times more troops than the Hilux, are armed with RCWS machine guns, grenade launchers, smoke dispensers et.c and are not easy for insurgents to steal due to password protections and other security devices.
The ballistic protection class and armament suite has been dissected by Beegeagle numerous times.
An attractive option is to improve ballistic resistance of existing stock of Hiluxes using Proforce Armouring Technologies. This would necessitate Proforce quadrupling capacity at their plant which they are ready to do.Unit cost after armouring might shoot up to N10,000,000.00 and the supply rate might still be too low to cope with demand.
Oga Eeben…truth is, at this time, the NA are critically prone to getting ambushed. It was the reason why troops nearly mutinied on Tuesday. They are subtly affirming that their vehicles do not offer protection from the threat.
AT THIS TIME, this vehicle does not represent a leap forward. Knowing Oga Peccavi’s lack of interest in MRAPs and love for cheap and low-tech COIN I SUSPECT that he is saying “buy these and not MRAPS”. And we say no:-)
I hear you Beegeagle.
But, soldiers get ambushed as a result of no reconnaissance to the front and flanks, poor battle drills, noisy movement, poor minor tactics, inadequate TTPs, not taking note of nature ie birds not singing, too much silence, routine of the populace in threat areas, etc, etc. I in no way intimated that this is what the NA needs at this moment in time. I was trying to illustrate the role of the Hunter in combat.
To purchase equipment with no clear strategy to defeat the enemy is also a waste of money especially is the doctrine is not in place in terms of combat. Being in MRAPs has resulted in soldiers being lazy to patrol on foot and having a misguided belief that dominating roads is dominating terrain – which it isn’t. It has also resulted in anti-MRAP ambushes with RPG-7s and the like.
As I have said before, I am sitting thousands of kilometers away from the situation and therefore it is easy to comment so please do not view my comments as criticisms. Also, do not see my comments as some attempt to get a “contract” in Nigeria. What has happened has happened and as also mentioned, the horse has bolted from the stable so to train a force now to resolve the situation will be impossible as the enemy has the advantage on what he does with the kidnap victims and when. .
However, it is important to dissect the past, analyse the present and predict the future.
My men and I do not live in Nigeria and therefore, it does not impact on us what equipment the NA buys or does not buy. What i am saying is that before rushing out to buy equipment, there must be a strategy in place that is supported by the government and the NA.
But even the best strategy is of no value if the means are not there to implement it and see it through to its conclusion.
Rgds,
Eeben
SUPPRESSING AMBUSHES AND TRAVELLING SAFELY is the requirement. This is what we require…notice the technical sandwiched between BMP-2 IFV and Casspir MRAP? The malaise…too many Hilux civil 4WDs deployed operationally. And we are supposed to delete those and pile on an indifferent Hunter LSV?
Just like that SNA technical had stayed out of the battle, that is how the Hunter LSV will have to stay out of it in a BH ambush. There is a reason why everyone is now saying that the NA are ill-equipped for the challenge – too many soft-skinned gun-trucks and utility trucks. They are wondering where the MRAPs, IFVs and APCs are.
Ghana have been known to deploy SF soldiers on election duty. That is why they can afford to be seen in the Hunter LSV. The NA are not similarly challenged on the quietest of days. Even cattle rustlers engage them in gunfights when cornered in forests…never mind terrorists.
A Ugandan soldier engages an Al Shabaab ambush party from a Casspir MRAP while Somali troops watch
UPDF BMP-2 and Casspir bring up the rear after the ambush.Somali troops in red berets are in the 4WD
Again I say that the Hunter has a specific role. It is not a convoy vehicle used to transport troops but a mobile fire support platform and a special operations vehicle. It depends on the operation, the enemy, terrain and climate as to which vehicle will be suited best for the mission.
Yes, I know that. But I am also saying that it is at best a Priority 2 acquisition for us. PRIORITY 1 is the MRAP.
Transporting troops 130km between Gwoza and MDGR the other night, a GILA or Casspir would have been ideal…not the HUNTER and not the Hilux. In the face of a shortage of air recce assets, try as you might in a 500km x 300km wide AOR, precautionary measures and tactics are only one part of the solution. That was why a mutiny very nearly broke out this week.
@ Oga Peccavi. Between MDGR and Baga (267km), Biu (200km), Gamboru or Gwoza, I want to see our troops being moved in GILA and Casspir MRAPs . If it is a narrow bush track, the Panhard VBL is smaller than a Landcruiser gun truck and highly mobile.
The downsides to this fixation with Hilux and Ford Ranger 4WD vans AT THE FRONTLINE exceeds 80% at the moment and it is inexcusable. Even the troops are now voting against them with rifle bursts. Let us move to PLAN B. The troops are chiefly getting ambushed while in transit and not in battles. That is the challenge and not the lack of weapons-carrying platforms. A properly configured Landcruiser gun-truck accomplishes most of what this LSV can.
We own hundreds of Pinzgauer ATVs and some variants come just like this LSV. Maybe PROFORCE can be handed some of those to be reconfigured.
When the theatre has been stabilised and dominated,the troops can then toy with the idea of using this LSV.
Oga Beeg, the majority is not always right na!
Lets break it down.
The enemy is using technicals to great success. They are using motorcycles.
Can an MRAP go where a motorcycle goes?
So lets look at it in several ways.
I am a strong believer in manouyvre warfare from the operational down to sub unit/ section level. There is a phrase the Yanks use alot in terms of training ‘Speed kills’ and it is true. The quicker you can manoeuvre and ny manoeuvre I do not just mean move from place to place put to deploy your fighting system and bring it to bear on the enemy the better it will be for you and the worse for them.
There are 3 elements to a fighting vehicle, protection, mobility or firepower. You can never have all 3 to 100%. Vehicles like the MRAP or Merkava sacrifice speed and mobility for protection and limited firepower. When fighting heavy mechanised or armoured forces this makes sense.
However you are fighting insurgents in NE Nigeria. the insurgents biggest asset is mobility. They can never (well ideally) bring enough firepower to bear to defeat conventional forces in a sustained contact, thus they must attack, achieve local surprise and fire superiority and then withdraw. The insurgensts biggest nightmare is being fixed, once they are fixed, they can be destroyed with firepower.
Now an MRA is limited in the places it can go, it needs roads, bridges of certain strength. It is slow, high and easy to see.
Comapre it to the Hunters or the Jackel or even the venerable Landrover E-WMIK, these are fast, light vehicles and more to the point, dripping with weapons. In a patrol of maybe 3 vehicles you’ll have at least 6 MGs, if not grenade launchers, mortars, etc, with their speed and cross country mobility they can outrun and outflank the enemy.
This is not yet an MRAP war.
Like I have said many a time, please tell me the outcome of the MRAP heavy Afghan and Iraq campaigns before we compare.
But British ISAF forces have increasingly turned to MRAPs in Afghanistan? Why so after the minimalist approach used in Basra?
Hmnn..the minority shall have their say while the majority shall have their way. Na so e dey be..
@Oga Eeben. Thanks a lot for the comeback. STILL, I would sooner take the OTT Puma M26 which is rated at STANAG Level 1 as are our Otokar Cobra APCs than this HUNTER LSV. PROFORCE can make that if we need it and certainly we need to grow our own indigenous arms industry. OTT have stuff to sell to us besides this HUNTER LSV which does not take care of the threat environment, however hard we work on the human and tactical approach to the operations.
You are most welcome, Beegeagle.
I think we are talking at cross purposes. Whereas I do not for one minute doubt that the NA desperately needs MRAPs (I seem to recall an earlier post someone sent some time back saying MRAPs were a waste of money), I was trying to make the point that vehicles have different roles and one should not assume a single vehicle type can be used for every single role the NA may wish to deploy it for.
Keep up your good work with this blog!
Rgds,
Eeben.
Once again let me ask for the avoidance of doubt, what were the tactical and operational outcomes?
Was the enemy defeated? Deterred? Did they go home, have a beer and chill?
Or they just built bigger IEDs? Or targeted ideas like EFP’s?
In order for the US to extricate itself from Iraq it needed the surge, did the surge involve buying thousands of MRAPS and driving around? Or embedding the poor bloody infantry into the enemy areas and neighbourhoods and drawing the enemy into a fight?
Is Namibia in the 80’s what did SWAPO do when confronted with the Ratel or Casspir? Did they go home, read their little Red books and dreams of victory? Or they stacked 2 anti tank mines on top of the other to ensure a kill, or else laid out anti personnel mines surrounding the anti tank mines, thus once they obtained a mobility kill they could take out the repair and recovery crews as well. Did Koevet fight by driving around in vehicles or on the same ground as the SWAPO soldiers, tracking them and in their environment.
The Israelis in 1973 were massively outgunned by the Syrians, was the key turning point technology? No. The Israeli victory was due to planning, i.e. having firing ramps that allowed them to shoot the Syrians without being seen and more importantly, highly trained gunners who could fire at least 3 accurate rounds before the Syrians could even see who was shooting.
So my point is, yes MRAPS are useful in an insurgency when you do not have defined front lines and a strong IED threat.
My argument against MRAPs and all these fancy things is not that they are not usefull, they are, the problem is they become substitutes for what it is really needed, superior training and tactics.
We complain about MRAPs, have you seen a Nigeria soldier with webbing? So where is his spare ammo? taped to his weapon? So it can get dust in the mags and get stoppages, where is his cleaning kit? grenades, smoke grenades, water?
Do you know how much shit we carry as soldiers? I have said it before I personally have carried more ammo than entire sections I see of Nigerian soldiers. Have we asked what type of radios we are using?
Procedures need to be in place for rapid reinforcement, and med evac. A 14 hour firefight with non relief is crazy especially in your own country.
Maybe i was dropped ON MY HEAD AS A CHILD, what do I know I am just an engineer , i have tried to stay out of this argument but it is getting harder and harder for me. LAST night OGA PECAVVI , OGA EEBEN, OGA BEEGEAGLE , I watched a repeat of a program on HBO about the experiences of TROOPS injured during action in Iraq.
The SARGE who had two legs blown of said their Humvees were getting blown up everyday they showed SIDE BY SIDE 4 Humvees blown up by ieds and a live still of a moving suicide vehicle as it approached and detonated V.B.IE.D. Peace did not return till these humvees were up amoured.
This too me is the same mindset, i normally view things cold bloodledl ( and i am the first to admit MOMENT OF DISCLOSURE never had a bullet whizz around me) but for GOD SAKES these toyota hlilukes are the most ill suited VEHICLES for what is going on in the NE.
What is required at bare minimum is some level of protection from AMBUSH and IEDS that are thrown.
The GILA and the CASPIR despite their gas guzzing short falls is what is required. OGA Peccavi correct me if I am wrong didnt the british stop using thin skinned land rover AND OPT FOR MUCH FIRMER STUFF?
Much respect OGA EEBEN i respect the foot patrol because that where a soldier makes his bones , hears and sees everything on point however there is nothing wrong in having a preponderance of force and not having to use than having very little force in the form of thin skinned hiluxes and and not being able to do anything .
Fellow beegeagle’s bloggers, I woke up very early this morning with a very heavy pain in my heart about the situation in our country Nigeria and it got me thinking. In addition to the President’s $1 billion dollar intervention and all the present foreign help, I recommend a long term multibillion-dollar national defense interest project which MUST involve absolutely no scams or competing demands. It should be considered by all stakeholders, especially the FGN, as a matter of desperate national emergency and as such, all military equipment purchases should be funded off-budget by direct government-to-government crude oil swaps (how did we fund the Civil War or build Abuja?) and the execution of all contracts should be responsibly overseen by the Nigerian Government.
A Nigerian Emergency Public Spending Act (NEPSA 2014) will be the guiding law for all such expenditures and will legally enable the direct use of crude oil as payment for the medium-term strategic weapons requirements of the Nigerian military and while providing an enabling environment for the emergence of a domestic defence industry. Lasting for a permanent span of no more than 15 years, this Act will also engender a wider public interest in the Nigerian defence industry by ensuring regular public approval ratings among interested Nigerians regarding expenditure which has not been approved by an overseeing committee of volunteers who possess 100% security clearances. This committee will consist of :
1 Senator (I know who we would all want here)
1 Representative
3 military officers from all services not ranking lower than Brigadier or equivalent
3 military officers from all services not ranking higher than Major or equivalent
1 police officer not ranking lower than Assistant Superintendent.
A member of the Supreme Court elected by the Nigerian parliament will chair this committee, and the tenure of the whole committee must not exceed a period of 36 months.
The earlier mentioned “referendums” will be conducted by means of newspaper cutouts and an official and regularly updated (live) website. Television adverts, online blogs (Linda Ikeji and Beegeagle for instance) and social media pages should also be included in this process for sensitization and information purposes. I believe local media outlets will be willing to play a greater part in the creation of a safer Nigeria. Up to date (redacted where necessary) accounts should also be made available for the scrutiny of this committee and the public 24/7 and should be part of a larger campaign to help the military win hearts and minds in the fight to defend our country.
The Act should also encompass a total overhaul of our military structure, capabilities and defense industrial complex to strengthen our ability to face modern challenges, restore national pride which has been never been at a lower level and generate growth in a relatively small local defence industry by increasing private sector involvement. This can be easily aided by the insertion of technology transfer clauses into as many purchase contracts as possible. Essentially, I am calling for the creation and adoption of a truly Nigerian Marshall Plan, using security as a launchpad. We live in dangerous times and need to also use our widely acclaimed academic intelligence to survive our rough neighborhood. It would be wise to heed to the numerous examples of the effects of perceptions of weakness on governments across the world in the past, in the present and in the future.
oga peccavi, I understand where you re coming from. yes, you are right about infantry skills; foot patrol, recon, and good ambush drills. but you also have to look at the situation a bit deeper from the normal minimalist fighting approach. this is not just some battalion or brigade trying to patrol wadis with rifles slung at the ready. this is a full division. and they need full divisional assets which includes AFVs, and other essential. hilux should be relegated to rear duties. you have to balance, speed, firepower and protection. is left for the theatre commander to determine what he needs to trade off. and for the NE, he cant totally ignore armour and protection.
you made serious points wrt ammo, webbing, and supply problems. i have stated on this blog before, every section should carry a minimum of 4000 rounds. platoons need light mortars. NA seems to always get the basics wrong.
however, I see where marshal beegs and oga jimmy are coming from. those toyota hilux trucks are atrocious. they are a crime against our gallant warriors. some other nations in west Africa, due to lack of funds can be excused for utilizing these death traps, but Nigeria is just sacrificing her brave sons on the altar of mismanagement, corruption, and general apathy of the top brass towards the grunts.
oga dozie in one of his PMC promo ramblings, did make a serious point. he said the NA was top heavy. now most peeps will just read that and see it as another destructive form of criticism. however, he did have a point. we send our officers to the best military schools on the planet. but how much investment do we make on our NCOs? this is the same army that once ordered all other ranks to return to barracks and stop pursuing tertiary education. those that followed that orders in the 90s lived to regret it.
we heap praises on the wehrmatch of WW2, the SADF of apartheid era, and the IDF (at least the pre- 82 IDF). but why do you think these armies where effective? it was the time and effort their armies invested in their rank and file, not just the officers. have as many sandhurst trained officers as you like, if the NCOs and other ranks continue to be neglected, there would always be indiscipline and lopsided performance
@oga peccavi, training and tactics are good, but without the right tools for the trade, even these superior training will lead to low morale and improper inefficient outcome. you cant compare the training of boko haram terrs with that of the NA. but in the end, even these superior training and force structure will bend because morale and corruption wouldn’t let the army perform to its efficient state.
I will give you a good example, the Rwandan Defence Force. you have to see these guys in action to believe them. they are probably the best light infantry force in Africa bar none! their battle discipline is unrivaled on this continent. the closest, when it comes to discipline will probably be the Zimbabwe Defence Force. but when these two forces met on the battlefields of eastern and central DRC, hardware and heavy machinery did play a role in keeping the ZDF in good order. while the junior leaders of the RDF where brilliant tacticians, and the bravery of their men legendary, their biggest drawback was lack of heavy weapons.
biko, we need the MRAPs, like oga Eeben stated, there is no one vehicle fit for every situation. but your opinion that the conflict has not gotten to the stage of MRAPs deployment is a bit flawed. NA need to deploy various heavy weapons in the NE. MRAPs, IFVs, APCs and other AFVs should all play their role. yes we shouldn’t neglect ammo issue, troop welfare, supplies, reinforcement, foot patrols. but also, we should not forget hardware, better assault rifles ( at least newer AKs with sights and for some, UGL), NVGs, protection in the form of vehicles and vests for the men, field radios, and many other essentials that i know our brilliant Jaji graduates (psc) already know but are dragging their foot to implement. these guys re worse than civil service bureaucrats. na wah!!
we have to put the AOR into perspective. also, the size of the force engaged in this COIN operations. this is a division! they need to behave as a combat division. yes low tech help, but we need to add even the necessary hitech. we did enough low tech in LBR and SRL, and look at our casualty rate.
I think it was Oga AOk who mentioned NCO’s and its a sentiment I thoroughly agree with.
They are the backbone of the army, in fact in my current posting Officers are literally superfluous to requirement. Obviously this does not pertain everywhere but well trained NCO’s/ junior leaders will carry the day for you. All the Nigerians on courses here I’ve met have been officers and all have been excellent (Sierra Leoneans not so much!) the only NCO I’ve met was from Gambia and despite his best efforts was completely out of his depth, one wonders who decided to send a Sergeant to Wales in winter with jungle kit. Poor fellow.
But its a valid point.
I harp on the simple things because once you get the little things right then the big ones naturally follow.
I will again point out I have never said don’t get MRAPs or MRAPs are not needed, my point is that they are not the holy grail and would not be my priority purchase, you will not defeat the enemy in an armoured truck, you will defeat the enemy with light, heavily armed fighting vehicles that can take the fight to them.
The key os balance of forces and kit, not just buy MRAPs and all is well. Featured above are MRAPs, I believe this was operations around Kismayo, also in that series of photos were light 4WDs used by the KDF SF, MBT’s APCs etc.
MRPAs are at best troop carrying vehicles, not fighting vehicles. If you are so worried about protected transport solutions then we need to also talk about armoured ammo, water and fuel trucks. Abi?
So everything has its place, but we first need to define the type of fight wee are in and then resource appropriately.
Not just buy MRAPs because they are what everyone else has