National Wire About Nigerians, Nigerian Business and Other Stories
Olabode Adaramola
The Nigerian Army has launched a holistic Military operation in its on going efforts to curtail the perennial security challenges caused by bandits and other criminal activities in North Central and the North Western parts of the country.
The Operation code named “Ayem Akpatuma 2, ” according to the General Officer Commanding 1st Mechanized Division of the Nigerian Army, Kaduna, Major General Farouk Yahaya, was aimed at targeting fleeing bandit’s in the numerous forest reserves traversing the borders of Niger state with neighboring Zamfara, Kebbi and Kaduna states in the North western part of Nigeria.
” Niger state which is suffering from the blunt of spillover of security situations from Zamfara, kebbi and Kaduna states in the North western part of the country, constitutes about 10 percent of Nigeria’s landmass with 95 forest reserves”, said Major General Faruk.
The Military Top Brass who stated this during the flagging off of the Exercise Ayem Kpatuma2 on Thursday in Minna Niger state capital, stated that, the operations which were a joint multi agency exercise comprising the personnel of the Nigeria Police Force, and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps( NSCDC) was designed to holistically checkmate the constant threats of banditry and other criminal activities in the north central and north western part of Nigeria.
He said, “the exercise which will be conducted in line with the new adopted Super Camp concept by the Nigerian Army, will encompass Civil Military Cooperation activities, as well as a field training exercise that will last through the month of December, 2019”.
The General Officer Commanding 1 Mechanized Division of the Nigerian Army, further explained that the troops taking part in the operations were to be concentrated in the established Super Camp of the Nigerian Army at Koton Koro axis of Niger state for onward movement to other operational bases in response to security threats across the entire state.
” Other designed mission of the Exercise Ayem Akpatuma 2 is to perfect the skills
of troops deployed on Military Operation other than War, (MOOTW), and operational synergy with Sister Services and agencies at all levels”. Said the GOC, 1st Div of the Nigerian Army.
The GOC , who commended the efforts and contributions of Niger state government and other security agencies serving in the state, in the fight to rid the state and the country as a whole from the activities of armed bandits and other criminal elements, urged them to keep maintaining the posture so as to achieve the desired result of neutralizing the activities of bandits in Niger state in order to sustain security thereby improving the socio- economic well being of Nigerians.
Also in his remarks at the occasion ,the Secretary to the Niger State government, Alhaji Ahmed Ibrahim Matane, who Commended the gesture by Nigerian Army and other sister security agencies working in the state, mentioned that the state government was ready to support every move or concept by the Army in its effort of curtailing menace of insecurity across the state.
National Wire reports that the Nigerian Army will simultaneously commence Operations Ayem Akpatuma II , in the north-central states of Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Taraba, and parts of northwestern states of Kaduna and Niger in 1 and 3 Divisions.
Meanwhile, “Exercise Egwu Eke IV” will be carried out in the South-Eastern part of Nigeria comprising Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and lmo states in 82 Mechanized Division, of the Nigerian Army
Similarly, “Exercise Crocodile Smile IV” will be held across states in the South-South and South-Western Nigeria, comprising Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Rivers, and Ogun in 2, 6, 81 and 82 divisions of the Army,
According to the report, the exercises aimed at curtailing the movement of bandits, armed robbers, ethnic militia and cattle rustlers will be conducted simultaneously from Friday, November 1( today) to December 23, 2019.
