Ex Chief of Defence Staff Badeh: I Headed a Military that Lacked Equipment

Speaking on Thursday during his withdrawal ceremony in Abuja, Badeh said that he had excelled despite the numerous challenges he experienced during his time as Chief of Defence Staff:

“The task of coordinating the military and other security agencies in the fight against the insurgents is perhaps the most complex and challenging assignment I have had in my over 38 years in service.

For the first time, I was head of a military that lacked the relevant equipment and motivation to fight an enemy that was invisible and embedded with the local populace.

Added to this was the exploitation of a serious national security issue by a section of the press and the political class to gain political mileage.

Furthermore, the activities of fifth columnists in the military and other security agencies who leaked operational plans and other sensitive military information to the terrorist, combined to make the fight against the insurgents particularly difficult.

The activities of these unpatriotic members of the military not only blunted the effectiveness of the fight, but also led to the needless deaths of numerous officers and men who unwittingly fell into ambushes prepared by terrorists who had advance warnings of the approach of such troops.

The decision by certain countries to deny us weapons to prosecute the war also added to the challenges we faced.

Despite these challenges, I am glad to note that a lot was achieved during our time in the fight against terror.

The achievements recorded are largely due to the commitment, patriotism and fighting spirit of our men and women in uniform who saw the fight against terror as a task that must be accomplished no matter the odds and inspite of the campaign of calumny against the military by a section of the media with their foreign collaborators.”