The Federal government has deployed drones in the fight against insurgency in the Northeast.
The deployment followed the recent killing of some soldiers fighting insurgency in the region who were ambushed by the terrorist group, Boko Haram.
The Nigerian delegation made the revelation in its Country report presented to the ECOWAS Parliament in Abuja on Friday.
The report presented by Mr. Sani Rano, also contained losses to the country from incessant farmers/herders clashes.
The deployment of the drones followed an attack on the Nigerian forces in Borno by the insurgent group, an attack which led to the killing of no fewer than 44 soldiers, the report stated.
The delegation, in their report, informed the parliament that the insurgent group killed 44 soldiers in three military bases in Borno state: Metele, Gajiram, and Mainok.
The report said that the country in reaction to the attack had deployed the drones to constantly survey the area, even as it had set up a multi-national joint task force to curb the menace.
“It is worth mentioning that Nigeria has constituted the Multi-National Joint Taskforce (MNTF) made up of Chad, Benin, Niger, Cameroon, and Nigeria, in fighting Boko Haram.
“It is a multinational formation comprising of equipped units, mostly the military aimed at containing the ravages of terrorism and armed insurgency.
“Presently, drones are patrolling Nigeria’s borders with Chad, Niger, and Cameroon as instruments for intelligence collection.
“The Nigerian government is working closely with the Cameroonian government with the aim of negotiating efforts in enabling more Cameroon Boko Haram members to surrender,” the report said.
The report, however, stated that before the recent attacks on military bases, the Nigerian troops had made good progress in tackling insurgency and reopening towns previously seized by Boko Haram.
It said that Nigeria had gone into partnerships with other countries including the U.S. and UK, France, Germany, ECOWAS, AU and the UN which had led to the purchase of weapons including 12 Super Tucano Aircraft.
With NAN report
