All Of You Are Going To Sambisa Forest, Buratai Tells Recruits

The Chief of Army Staff (CAS), Lt Gen. Tukur Buratai, on Monday,
told the newly recruited soldiers who are currently undergoing
training that all of them must be ready to go to Sambisa forest to
face the insurgents and other border areas in order to defend
Nigeria from external aggression.

Buratai, who made this remark during the final screening for 80
regular recruits at Falgore forest training camp in Kano State,
also said the Nigerian Army will uphold thoroughness in its
recruitment processes to ensure that only qualified persons are
recruited.

The Army Chief admonished the new recruits to drop the offer if
they were not ready to be disciplined, loyal and go to where they
would be deployed to, adding that the exercise was a new approach
to the screening and recruitment process of the Nigerian Army.

According to him, the exercise was borne out of the need to
recruit the best, stressing that lessons drawn from experiences in
the field had made it imperative to recruit the best in order to
avoid a faulty process that could lead to “faulty training and
subsequently, faulty operations.”

“The Nigerian Army is not ready for that again. As such, you
must make up your mind that you are ready to serve your country as
a soldier and you should be ready, anywhere you are deployed, after
your passing out. All of you will go to Sambisa at the end of your
depot training.

“If you are not ready to move to Sambisa and other parts of the
country, and of course, our border areas to defend our country from
any act of aggression, then you have not started.

“It is not yet late, if you have any doubt if you are not ready
for discipline and loyalty at any point, then you can stand up and
go. There is no room for laziness and indiscipline in the army and
no room for malingering,” the COAS said.

He maintained that all screening for recruitment, selection and
commissioning would henceforth be conducted in the Falgore
forest.

Buratai added, “This is where we will select those that will
become cadets and be trained as officers as well because, at the
end of all the training, the officers and soldiers will operate
together under the same condition. As such, all must be subjected
to a similar process of recruitment and selection.’’

A total of 6,000 applicants, drawn from the 36 states, have been
undergoing screening at the new training ground for enlistment into
the army. At the end of the final fitness test, which involves a
10-kilometre-run, successful candidates will proceed to the
Nigerian Army Depot, Zaria for training.

The Chief of Army Staff (CAS), Lt Gen. Tukur Buratai, on Monday,
told the newly recruited soldiers who are currently undergoing
training that all of them must be ready to go to Sambisa forest to
face the insurgents and other border areas in order to defend
Nigeria from external aggression.

Buratai, who made this remark during the final screening for 80
regular recruits at Falgore forest training camp in Kano State,
also said the Nigerian Army will uphold thoroughness in its
recruitment processes to ensure that only qualified persons are
recruited.

The Army Chief admonished the new recruits to drop the offer if
they were not ready to be disciplined, loyal and go to where they
would be deployed to, adding that the exercise was a new approach
to the screening and recruitment process of the Nigerian Army.

According to him, the exercise was borne out of the need to
recruit the best, stressing that lessons drawn from experiences in
the field had made it imperative to recruit the best in order to
avoid a faulty process that could lead to “faulty training and
subsequently, faulty operations.”

“The Nigerian Army is not ready for that again. As such, you
must make up your mind that you are ready to serve your country as
a soldier and you should be ready, anywhere you are deployed, after
your passing out. All of you will go to Sambisa at the end of your
depot training.

“If you are not ready to move to Sambisa and other parts of the
country, and of course, our border areas to defend our country from
any act of aggression, then you have not started.

“It is not yet late, if you have any doubt if you are not ready
for discipline and loyalty at any point, then you can stand up and
go. There is no room for laziness and indiscipline in the army and
no room for malingering,” the COAS said.

He maintained that all screening for recruitment, selection and
commissioning would henceforth be conducted in the Falgore
forest.

Buratai added, “This is where we will select those that will
become cadets and be trained as officers as well because, at the
end of all the training, the officers and soldiers will operate
together under the same condition. As such, all must be subjected
to a similar process of recruitment and selection.’’

A total of 6,000 applicants, drawn from the 36 states, have been
undergoing screening at the new training ground for enlistment into
the army. At the end of the final fitness test, which involves a
10-kilometre-run, successful candidates will proceed to the
Nigerian Army Depot, Zaria for training.