WAR! Nigerian Army reportedly raises scary NIBATT 1 battalion to remove Jammeh in Gambia
- The battalion is called ECOMOG NIBATT 1 and is reportedly presently camped at Okitipupa in Ondo state from where it will head to Jaji in Kaduna state
- The battalion will also allegedly attend the Nigerian Army School of Infantry at Jaji for “a crash course on counter terrorism and counter insurgency”
- Army directorates of policy and plans; finance; and logistics and the Armoured Corps are working hard to get the team all it needs to be prepared for the Gambia incursion
FILE PHOTO: Nigerian soldiers will be deployed in Gambia to oust Jammeh from power.
In order to ensure that Gambia president Yahya Jammeh does not stay in power beyond Thursday, January 19, the Nigerian Army has allegedly raised a battalion to force him out of office.
Premium Times, in a report on Thursday, January 12, quotes military insiders as saying that the battalion called ECOMOG NIBATT 1 is presently camped at Okitipupa in Ondo state.
READ ALSO: National Assembly debate on allowing Jammeh to stay in Nigeria
It said that the around 800-man strong team was drawn from units and bases across the country and are expected to head to the Nigerian Army School of Infantry at Jaji for “a crash course on counter terrorism and counter insurgency”.
Preparations are in high gear for the team’s departure, according to Premium Times, which also quoted sources as saying that Army Headquarters had instructed the Army directorates of policy and plans; finance; and logistics “to ready funds, arms, ammunition and other logistics for the operation” while the Armoured Corps is working hard to provide armoured vehicles needed for the task, officials said.
The battalion, the report says, will deployed in Gambia anytime from January 19 should Jammeh fail to leave office.
READ ALSO: Jammeh asks Buhari, other African leaders to postpone trip to Gambia
Premium Times quoted an Army officer as saying: “This is an emergency operation, but we are ready. The Nigerian Army is a strong, professional fighting force battle ready at anytime. We are so well structured that we can deploy at the touch of a button.
“We did it in Liberian, Sierra Leone and elsewhere. And Jammeh should know that we are not a joking force. Once we get the all clear from ECOWAS, the AU and the UN to move in, we can pick him up.”
But the Nigerian soldiers may not have it easy in an attack on Gambia as the country's Army chief Ousman Badjie has declared the Armed Forces' support for President Yahya Jammeh.
Gambia's President, Yahya Jammeh has criticised international pressure on him to step down as he announced the appointment of a mediator to help resolve the country's political impasse.
In an address on national television late on Tuesday, January 10, Jammeh lashed out “at unprecedented level of foreign interference in our elections and internal affairs and also a sustained smear campaign, propaganda and misinformation".