Defence Chief Musa Speaks on Hiring Military Contractors to Combat Boko Haram

Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has ruled out the use of military contractors in the fight against Boko Haram.

Musa made the declaration while speaking on Arise TV’s Morning Show on Thursday.

He was responding to Senator Ali Ndume’s suggestion to employ military contractors following the recent Boko Haram attack in Ngoshe, Borno State.

The attack claimed six lives and resulted in five abductions.

Musa said that Nigeria’s challenges require a delicate approach, citing the limitations of military contractors in Mali and Afghanistan.

He said: “We appeal to Nigerians to support the Armed Forces, the challenges we are facing is not isolated. We are not where we want to be but we are heading there.

“Recently, we have military contractors in Mali and how far have they gone? Americans used military contractors in Afghanistan and they fought for 20 years, they left without finishing the war.

“What I’m saying is that asymmetric warfare is a very difficult operation because we are dealing with non-state actors. The only way to identify them is that they are carrying arms

“Ndume has spoken and there is freedom of speech in democracy, so I understand that he’s trying to look at options but for us it’s not an option. We are doing a lot of joint training with Europeans, Americans to build capacity in other to project this war.

“The war we are facing is not the conventional warfare where you know that the enemy is there, these guys are highly mobile and once you are going after them, there informants give them information about your movement and strength.

“On the 300 killed, we have done more than that, it’s still counting. Military contractors are not the solution because the money you are going to give them why not use it to equip your own military, that would be a better option.”