Nigerian Army To Lay Off 5,000 Soldiers

The Nigerian army is to lay off some 5,000 soldiers by the end of the year as part of its restructuring plan, the pan-African news agency PANA reported.

Briefing journalists in Lagos as part of the Army Day celebration, which ends Wednesday, the Army Chief, Lt.-Gen. Victor Malu said that another 1,000 men would be employed under the program.

He said its goal "is to have a highly professional, highly trained and highly mobile army, vast in information technology that can meet the requirements of a rapidly changing battlefield."