Chief of Army Staff Gen. Azubike Ihejirika yesterday said members of the Boko Haram terrorist group were receiving training, funding and equipment from foreign interests.

Gen. Ihejirika hinged his position on the sophistication of the weapons being used by the sect’s members, the communication equipment deployed in recent bombings and their expertise in the preparation of improvised explosive devices.

“Involvement of foreigners in Boko Haram’s terrorist activities in Nigeria is certain. It is definite that the group receives training and possibly funding from some foreign elements,” he said, at the opening of the 2011 Chief of Army Staff conference in Abuja:

He added: “This is evident from the type of weapons we have captured from them, from the type of communication equipment we have captured from them and from the expertise they have displayed in the preparation of improvised explosive devices. These are pointers to the fact that there is foreign involvement in the terrorism going on in Nigeria.”

Highlighting the main focus of the two-day conference, Gen. Ihejirika admitted the security challenges confronting the nation, assuring all that the Army is appraising its operational training to meet emerging security challenges.

“This quarter has been particularly challenging, in view of the numerous security challenges across the country, the most recent being the UN House bombing by the terrorists here in Abuja.

“This is essentially a training conference and hence a large number of officers taking part. We have been told to appraise our performance training, administration and in tackling the operational challenges the Nigerian Army has been involved in both internally and externally”

“I want to emphasise that we have to be very frank and do a serious critique of our performances so that we can come out with a solution that will aid our performances in future undertakings,” he said.

The Army chief acknowledged the high expectation of the public from the security agencies, saying that the consensus among them is that a situation where bombs continue to shatter public peace is unacceptable.

“So, we need to really dissect our mode of operation, and the way we work and cooperate with other agencies so as to come up with better strategies to enhance security tremendously,” the General said.

He deplored indiscipline among members of the Armed Forces and promised to tackle it with every seriousness required. He however added that indiscipline is a societal problem and not peculiar to members of the Armed Forces.

Said Gen. Ihejirika: “The issue of indiscipline affecting soldiers is societal, but what I want to assure every Nigerian is that all acts of indiscipline on the part of soldiers and officers would be dealt with immediately, whether by court-martial or at the unit level’.

“I have brought commanders to the field so that we will drum it right into their ears so that they too can interact with us and we will know how to nip the problem in the bud once and for all.

“What I want to say is that the Army will meet the expectations of Nigerians and that we are ever prepared to carry out any task assigned to us. The issue of the country’s security is a collective thing running from government at various levels, well-meaning citizens and all the security agencies. What I want to assure you is that the Army will cooperate and collaborate with others to improve on our present performance.