…Buhari insists Boko Haram operated with seized army, police weapons
From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buharid ropped hints at the weekend that the Federal Government may possibly recruit some members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) into the Nigerian Army and the Police.
This was even as he assured that disarming them would not be a problem after the war against Boko Haram had been won.
Fielding questions during the Second Regional Security Summit held in Abuja at the weekend, Buhari also dismissed the impression that Boko Haram got arms supplies from the Independent State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
The president said intelligence gathering so far confirmed that the Islamic sect operated with the ammunition they stole from military and police armouries. “With their encounter with the military, the type of weapon they are using are mostly the ones they seized after attacking military installations, police stations and breaking armouries. So, as the military hits back and recovers the weapons and hostages, they seem to have run out of stock. The only fear we had was when Boko Haram claimed they were loyal to ISIS, but, up till now, we don’t have firm intelligence of what ISIS has been able to send to them in terms of weapons or even money. When they claim loyalty to them, it is natural for us to assume that they will get some support in military hardware and money,” he insisted.