It was disclosed by a witness during the court-martial of the former commander of the Multinational Joint Task Force, Brig Gen Ransome-Kuti, that the troops had never received any new equipment, unlike claimed.
Kuti was arrested by the Nigerian military authorities in January following the scandalous failure to repel the attack in Baga, Borno state, under his command. Based on unofficial reports, more than 3,000 people died in the assault.
According to Sahara Reporters, in the course of the proceedings in Abuja, prosecution witness, former general officer commanding of the 7th Division, Major Gen MY Ibrahim, told the court that the MNJTF had lacked adequate fighting vehicles and support weapons, adding that the three MBLT Battle Tanks issued to the force had serious faults, while artillery guns lacked critical accessories.
Recall that Kenneth Minimah, who was the chief of army staff, used to insist that the new weapons had been purchased for the joint forces to ensure more effective fight against Boko Haram.
Battle tanks in Baga were mostly issued in 1998 and could not be very helpful in repelling the terrorists’ attacks on January 3, it was provided.
Another shocking claim, supported by the documentary evidence, contained that the former GOC intentionally refused to task any military unit to support the MNJTF when it had come under attack. This was against the directive for all the units in the northeast to support each other.
The second prosecution witness, Captain EE Emmanuel, had earlier said that the MNJTF fighting equipment was unserviceable. He attributed troops’ failure to Boko Haram possessing superior fire power.
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