We’re Not Fighting Boko Haram with Mercenaries – Omeri

The South African government had expressed worry over what it described as use of foreign mercenaries including South African soldiers in fighting Boko Haram after the foreign media stumbled on photographs of white soldiers in Borno with some of the hardware.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja, Director General National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr. Mike Omeri said it is not true that Nigeria is prosecuting the war with mercenaries. He said the foreigners quoted in the media are technical officers that are in charge of maintaining the hardware recently acquired by the Federal Government from South Africa and Russia.

He said it is part of agreement secured for the procurement of the equipment and that it is the practice all over the world to get offers where hardware are purchased to take charge of maintenance due to unavailability of local knowledge on the hardware.