Tobias Sylvester
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, has revealed that the Nigerian Army has resorted to spiritual warfare in the ongoing fight against Boko Haram terrorists.
The Army chief stated this at the 2019 Chaplains annual Training Conference and Retreat in Sokoto on Tuesday, October 22, 2019.
Buratai, represented by Brig.-Gen. Timothy Olowomeye, the Director of Civil Military Affairs, said that Boko Haram and the likes cannot be defeated by kinetic military warfare alone.
He said the move to engage Boko Haram in spiritual warfare was important to counter their propaganda especially in the north-eastern part of the country.
”We were involved in a joint seminar on Spiritual Warfare as an effective means against insurgency and other forms of restiveness.
”Boko Haram and the likes cannot be defeated by kinetic military warfare alone.
”Finding appropriate counter-narratives against these violent extremist sects will immensely be a big push towards eradicating their negative activities in Nigeria,” he said.
Buratai said the Army had continued to engage with the religious directorate on possible proactive measures to help in winning this fight against the various forms of restiveness in the country.
He further noted that the choice of the Northwest for the event meant they were in tandem with the efforts of the government in quelling the teeming security challenges of banditry in the region.
He called for more collaboration between the Directorates of Civil Military Affairs (DCMA) and the three Religious Directorates in the efforts to contain the security challenges.
Gen. Adeniyi said that Boko Haram is not as strong as people think, noting that the major factor that hinders the Nigerian soldiers from defeating Boko Haram is the lack of an “army aviation”.
