Military takes delivery of two jets loaded with weapons

The Nigerian military took delivery of two Boeing 747 jets fully loaded with ammunition that arrived the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Wednesday evening.The first and second jets, which arrived around 4pm and 6pm respectively, had various forms of sophisticated weapons meant for military operations in the North-East, according to reliable sources at the airport.Our correspondent sighted the jets on the tarmac at the airport on Thursday but was denied access to even get close to them by officials guarding those who were offloading the cargoes.It was learnt that the Federal Government’s intensive campaign against insurgents in the North-East would be boosted with the arrival of the ammunition.A security official at the airport, who pleaded not to be named as he was not authorised to speak on the matter, told our correspondent that “the ammunition in these massive cargo jets show how determined the government is to considerably halt the activities of Boko Haram within the six weeks which it requested from INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission).“We don’t often see the arrival of heavy ammo like this in this airport. This one shows there is trouble for insurgents in the North-East.”Asked of the registration of the foreign cargo jets that brought in the heavy ammo and where the aircraft came from, our source at the NAIA said, “I cannot tell where the ammunitions were from but they are being offloaded and moved to town one after the other.“The cargo jets are Boeing 747 planes and one of them has LW Italia written on it. I cannot tell you details because this is a classified operation and officials of this airport cannot even get close to see clearly other details of the airplanes. As you can see, this massive cargo plane can carry so many items than many other cargo jets.”It was also gathered that the offloading of the jets started since Wednesday and stretched till Thursday.The Federal Government had also assured Nigerians that it would reduce the activities of insurgents within the six-week period.Meanwhile, the Trade Union Congress has appealed to the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Kenneth Minimah, to show mercy to soldiers who are condemned to death by firing squad for various offences inrelation withthe ongoing counter-terrorism operation in the North-East.A total of 60 soldiers were sentenced to death by firing squad by military court martial for mutiny, conspiracy to commit mutiny and other grave offences.The President and Secretary General of the TUC, Messrs Bala Kaigama and Musa Lawal, respectively, said in a statement on Thursday that the sanctity of justice would not be desecrated if mercy was shown to the affected soldiers.“The Congress wishes to also appeal to the Federal Government and the military authorities to temper justice with mercy on the soldiers that were condemned some months ago.“Justice, they say, serves a better societal purpose, when tempered with mercy. And indeed the quality of mercy is not strained. It is twice blessed. It blesses he that gives and he that takes.”Kaigama and Lawal also urged the Army chief to ensure that the promise he made to victorious troops during his visit to Baga that all soldiers who participated in the liberation of the headquarters of the Multinational Joint Task Force would be given automatic promotion.They said that the promise made by the Army chief would go a long way to boosting the morale of troops involved in the ongoing operation.