COAS assures of end to terrorism, calls for collective efforts

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Kenneth Minimah, has assured that government would put an end to terrorism in Nigeria, and canvassed collective support for the military in the fight.

Minimah said this on Sunday at the Inter-Denominational Church Service held at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Catholic Church, Mogadishu Cantonment in Abuja.

The service which was to mark the 2014 Nigerian Army Day Celebration (NADCEL) had the “Combating Current National Security Challenges through Collective Effort’’.

“We are going through troubled times, but they will soon come to an end, and we shall be glad at the end. “I promise you it will come to an end and we will be victorious.

“The war against terrorism is a collective effort of all Nigerians and I appeal to all Nigerians to join hands in fighting this new war of terrorism.

“I want to thank Nigerians for standing by us, for their perseverance. “I also appeal to them that terrorism is a new warfare. It requires time and patience for us to defeat it.

“I am very much optimistic that we will deliver. We will win the war. “What we have in the North-East will certainly come to an end soon. “Our job is to continue to protect and preserve the unity of this country and making it stable for prosperity.

“Our job is also to uphold our constitutional role, which is to defend the country’s territorial integrity from insurgency and external aggression, and provide aid to civil authority. That, we will continue to do,’’ the Army chief said.

Using the Niger-Delta area, and Abia and Benue as instances, Minimah said peace had returned to these places and everywhere there were peaceful.

The Nigerian Army, which celebrated its 151 years of existence, was established in 1863.

However, the name Nigerian Army was first used 100 years later when Nigeria became a republic in 1963.(NAN)