The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai, has confirmed that the Nigerian Army will soon relaunch military operations nationwide to tackle banditry, kidnapping, insurgency and other security threats.
Buratai at the Army Headquarters in Abuja, on Tuesday, also disclosed that Operation Positive Identification, OPI, which is ongoing in the North East theatre of operation, will be extended to cover the entire nation.
According to the Army, OPI requires citizens to move about with legitimate means of identification such as National Identification Card, Voters Registration Card, Drivers’ License and International Passports or other valid official identification.
The COAS said the fresh national operations are exercise Ayem Akpatuma II in the North Central and parts of Western States of Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Taraba, Kaduna and Niger States in 1 and 3 Divisions, as well as in 1 and 3 Divisions, Headquarters Command Army Records, Guards Brigade and 707 Special Forces Brigade Area of Responsibility (AoR).
“Exercise Egwu Eke IV will be carried out in the South-Eastern part of Nigeria comprising Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo States in 82 Division AOR.
“Exercise Crocodile Smile IV will be held across some states in the South-South and part of South Western States, including Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Lagos, Ogun and Rivers State in 2, 6, 81 and 82 Divisions’ AoR.
“The various exercises, which the Army will conduct in conjunction with other security agencies to boost synergy and inter-agency cooperation among the services and security agencies, will take place between November 1 and December 23, 2019”, he said.
On Operation Positive Identification, Buratai explained that it was to curtail the movement of bandits, kidnappers, armed robbers, ethnic militia, cattle rustlers and other criminal elements to other relatively peaceful states to perpetrate their crimes.
“Operation Positive Identification will run concurrently with these other routine exercises during the period,” he added.
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