By MUHAMMAD TIJJANI

The Nigerian Army has trained no fewer than 604 Special Forces in its eighth session of ‘Exercise Restore Hope’, aimed at boosting national security.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the exercise is a six-month specialist training covering kinetic and non-kinetic areas.

The training, which was held at the Nigerian Army Military Training Centre, Kachia, is aimed at preparing the Special Forces for contemporary security challenges.

At the graduation ceremony of the troops on Tuesday in Kaduna, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, commended the troops for acquiring skills in marksmanship, weapon handling and precision targeting.

Oluyede, represented by the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 1 Division Nigerian Army, Maj.-Gen. Mayirenso Saraso, said the Special Forces demonstrated their capabilities, showcasing cooperation and concentration of firepower.

He explained that the soldiers were carefully selected from various units and formations of the Nigerian Army, and would be deployed to enhance operational efficiency in some theaters of operations within Nigeria.

Oluyede added that the training programme was a continuous activity in the Army’s calendar, done twice a year, and designed to equip the soldiers with specialized skills to tackle security challenges.

“The special forces had undergone enhanced training, building on their basic soldier training, to prepare them for mission-oriented tasks,” he said.

The army chief emphasised that the training would add to the fighting capabilities of troops already deployed in the field, where their deployment was expected to see a significant difference in operational outcomes.

“The training is crucial in enhancing the army’s operational efficiency and national security efforts,” Oluyede said. (NAN)

• PHOTO: Representative of the Chief of Army Staff, the General Officer Commanding 1 Division, Nigerian Army, Maj.-Gen. Mayirenso Saraso, inspecting a Guard of Honour at the Nigerian Army Military Training Centre, Kachia, during the graduation of 604 Special Forces in its eighth session of “Exercise Restore Hope,” on Tuesday in Kaduna