Maj. Gen. Tijani Jibrin, the General Officer Commanding (GOC),  2 Division of the Nigerian Army,  has charged  soldiers to always  rise up to the challenge of tackling terrorism.

Jibrin gave the charge  on Monday while declaring open a three-day  inter-brigade Warrant Officers and senior Non Commissioned Officers competition at Sobi Cantonment, Ilorin.

The GOC, who described terrorism as a contemporary challenge facing the country, said soldiers must be prepared to face such challenge through  training.

"This is a very important part of the training  which will help to prepare you for dealing with the problem of terrorism," he said.

He advised participants not to see the exercise as a mere competition but an opportunity to exhibit what they had  been taught during their training.

Jibrin noted that the exercise was designed to test their knowledge, courage and determination as soldiers.

He also said the competition was a routine programme of the army to test the weapons  handling skills of the soldiers.

The GOC said  soldiers needed  a lot of endurance to withstand the requirement of   operational fatigue, adding that this informed the test on combat swimming and obstacle crossing.

Earlier, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Alkali, the Brigade Commander, 2 Division, had expressed delight at the turn out for the competition.

He advised the participants to put in their best and comport themselves as worthy ambassadors of their divisions.

Capt. Kolawole Bello, the Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, 22 Armoured Brigade, said 165 soldiers drawn from five formation   were taking part in the three-day competition.

The formations, he said, were  2 Division  Garrison, Ibadan, 22 Armoured Division,  Ilorin, 4 Brigade, Benin, 32 Artillery Division, Akure and 42 Division,  Mokola,  Ibadan.

Bello said participants would be tested on drills, weapon handling, physical fitness, obstacle crossing, combat swimming and map reading. (NAN)