Nigerian Army fields locally-fabricated mine-resistant vehicles.

The Nigerian Army has inducted locally fabricated Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles into the ongoing war against Boko Haram terrorist group in the Northeast of the country. The MRAPs, which were built by the engineers at the military counter-insurgency operation in the Northeast (Operation Lafiya Dole) were commissioned by the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. General Tukur Buratai.

The Nigerian Army Engineer Corps, Theatre Command of Operation Lafiya Dole (OPLD) have commenced local production of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles in Maiduguri to enhance their operational capacity (Picture source: NAN)

Speaking at the commissioning of seven new vehicles and a vehicle recovery truck on Wednesday, Buratai who was represented by the Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Major General Olusegun Adeniyi, said the vehicles would boost the fight against terrorism in troubled Northeast. He said the seven MRAPs were the third in the series, insisting that the homegrown technological innovation was a major drive to restore normalcy to the northeast. He explained that the materials used in constructing the platforms were sourced from the theatre of operations, except for the bullet-resistant windows that were bought from Kaduna.

The COAS also assured that such innovations would be sustained. He said: “As of today, the theatre has produced locally some MRAPs in three variants. They are the Champion, the Invisible and the Conqueror. The theatre has also undertaken the conversion of gun trucks and tractors to armored Gun Trucks, All Terrain. “In the same vein, ‘fire eaters’ with armored plating were made to provide local protection for troops while in a harbor and in defensive positions.”

The Commander 107 Division Equipment Support, Brig. Gen. Babatunde Alaya, explained that the armored vehicles are capable of resisting AK-47 and anti-aircraft ammunition.