Nigeria denies presence of mercenaries to combat Boko Haram

The Nigerian Defense Headquarters has denied the presence of foreign mercenaries in the ongoing counter insurgency operation in restive northeast part of the country.

Local media had reported that the military has resorted to using mercenaries in the ongoing fight against Boko Haram militants.

Reacting to the report, Colonel Rabe Abubakar, the defense spokesperson, told Xinhua on Saturday that the insinuation and media reports are utterly scurrilous and a calculated attempt to smear the good image of the Nigerian military.

He said the orchestrated campaign is aimed at rubbishing the efforts of the Nigerian Armed Forces and other security agencies who are working hard to contain the insurgencies in the northeast.

The defense spokesperson said the Nigerian military has enough trained soldiers to fight the terrorists in the North East without resorting to the use of mercenaries.

According to him, the military has significantly up-scaled its troops and equipment deployment since the Presidential mandate and does not need mercenaries whether foreign or local to rout out and put an effective end to guerrilla movements in the northeast within the allotted time.

He told Xinhua that the Nigerian Armed Forces are doing all that are needed to be done to ensure that the terrorists in the northeast and all forms of criminality are brought under effective control within the shortest possible time.

Earlier reports said Nigeria has brought in hundreds of mercenaries to the northeastern state of Borno.

Boko Haram launched its insurgency in Nigeria in 2009 aiming to create an Islamic state within the country. More than 2,000 civilians have been killed by the group this year. Endit