The Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya, has flagged off various exercises aimed at tackling security challenges across the country.
Director, Army Public Relations, Brig. Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, 18 October, 2022.
TheFact Daily learns that the three exercises flagged off, namely: Exercises Still Waters, Golden Dawn, and Enduring Peace, are all targeted at mitigating security challenges in the South South, South East, South West and North Central, and are to run concurrently across the country.
At the flagging off exercises held at the 6 Division Step-up Headquarters in Ahoada, Rivers State, Gen. Yahaya stated that the exercises were specifically conceptualised to meet security challenges peculiar to their areas of responsibility in the respective regions.
The Army Chief, while pointing out that the exercises involved team operations of the Armed Forces, the Nigeria Police Force, NPF, Department of State Services, DSS, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, amongst others, added that the synergy amongst the services and agencies will provide the opportunity for them to bring their special competencies to bear in the operations.
Gen Yahaya further stated that each exercise will address issues unique to their areas of responsibility.
“The one here will among other tasks address the issue of oil theft”, he added.
The COAS was optimistic about the operations engendering more peaceful and harmonious atmosphere for the yuletide and the conduct of violent-free elections next year. He however warned that the troops must remain apolitical and not allow themselves to be derailed.
Earlier, the Chief of Operations (Army) Maj. Gen. Tunde Akinjobi, while giving highlights of the exercises, said it will adopt both kinetic and non kinetic approaches to make it friendly to law abiding citizens, and called for the cooperation of members of the public to enhance the attainment of the exercises’ desired end states.
The General Officer Commanding 6 Division Nigerian Army, Maj. Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, whose Division hosted the flag off, assured that the Division would be resolute in the pursuit of its mandate in order to achieve the objective of facilitating conditions suitable for socio economic activities to thrive.
