Ex-Defence chief explains why terrorists are killing soldiers

Former Chief of Defence Staff, General Martin Luther Agwai, explains that troops battling Boko Haram are suffering casualties because they are not trained for unconventional warfare.

Agwai said the soldiers were not originally trained to fight conventional warfare, stressing that what they are currently facing now in the northeast was strange to their training.

The former army chief stated this at the 50th Anniversary celebration of the Nigeria Fellowship of Evangelical Students, NIFES, held in Abuja over the weekend.

He said, "Let me say with all sincerity that it is so sad that we have lost such number of people (soldiers).

"Let me also remind all of us that when a dog bites man, it's not news but the day a man bites dog, you know that it's news. How many of you have reported the number of Boko Haram that have been arrested, those that have been detained and those that have been killed by the security agents?"

"It's because that is the dog biting man, that's what is expected of the troops. But you cannot go to abattoir and you say you don't want blood to touch you. If you don't want blood to touch you, then you must not go to abattoir."

He also asked Nigerians not to make too much out of the ugly incident that happened.

Buhari warns against politicising the death of soldiers

Following the attack at the military base in Metele village, Guzamala local government area of Borno State that led to the killing of 118 soldiers, president Muhammadu Buhari has warned against politicising the killings.

In a statement issued on his official Twitter account , the president said, "We must resist the temptation to play politics with the tragedy of the deaths of our soldiers. They are heroes on the frontlines, fighting to make Nigeria a safer place for us all. Rest assured that the circumstances that have led to these deaths will be comprehensively addressed."

Buhari said that fighting terrorism has taken a global dimension, hence, the need for international collaboration among states facing similar security challenges.

The President also promised to give the Army all the needed support in terms of equipment and manpower to succeed in ending Boko Haram's renewed threat.