‘ll Punish Commanders Who Lose Soldiers, Weapons to Boko Haram If Elected President, Says Atiku

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has said that a situation whereby commanders in the war theatre in the North East continue to lose weapons and soldiers to Boko Haram is not acceptable and if elected President, he will punish any commander who loses troops and weapons to insurgents.

The presidential hopeful said he would ensure that all the things needed for a successful military campaign were provided and he would let the commanders know that there will be consequences for failure.

He promised that, if elected, his government would tackle the issue of Boko Haram insurgents by training and re-training of soldiers, procurement of latest military hardware, and also making the welfare of soldiers a priority.

The former vice president who disclosed this Wednesday while featuring alongside his running mate, Mr. Peter Obi, on ‘The Candidates’ a programme featuring presidential candidates and the running mates, said that his government would be willing to probe the corruption allegation in the military.

Atiku equally condemned the massacre of members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, also known as Shiites, in 2015 by the military.

Noting that it was a policing issue, he said when the members of the Islamic sect were unruly, the Police should have been drafted in to resolve the issue.