Sultan to FG: Equip armed forces for better performance
The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Muhammadu Abubakar III, has urged the Federal Government to equip the armed forces to enable them to confront the ravaging insecurity in the country.
Receiving the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadiq Abubakar, in his palace on Saturday, the monarch said the current state of insecurity in the North-West needed well-equipped armed forces to confront bandits and other elements threatening the security of the country head-on.
He said, “We do not have the relevant equipment to deal with the relative insecurity. Our forces needed minimum equipment to add to their strength because presently, we do not have the minimum for standard operation.
“We must task the Federal Government to equip the armed forces to be able to function without hindrance. We must wake up and equip our armed forces to the standard level.”
The Sultan commended the Air Force chief for coming to Sokoto in response to the recent attacks in Sabon Birni, where 74 people were killed by suspected bandits.
Earlier, the Air Force chief said they were in the palace to commiserate with the Sultan over the loss of lives in Sabon Birni, adding that his presence in Sokoto was to reassess the operational strategies with a view to scaling up air operation in the fight against bandits in the state. Punch
