Army floats fresh operations over rising attacks

The Nigerian Army said it would launch three training exercises across the country to forestall rising cases of attacks and criminalities during the forthcoming Yuletide period.

It said the exercises have been codenamed ‘GOLDEN DAWN III’ in the Southeast; ‘ENDURING PEACE III’ in the North Central and ‘STILL WATERS III’ in the South-South and South-west zones of the country.

Army spokesman, Onyema Nwachukwu, who disclosed this at Army Headquarters in Abuja yesterday at a press briefing, said the exercises would be formally launched by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, at a later date.

Nwachukwu, a BrigadierGeneral in the army, explained that the exercises are designed to improve individual and collective professional competence and would dovetail into real time operations to tackle various peculiar security challenges in the geo-political zones.

According to him, the exercise GOLDEN DAWN III, taking place in the South East, is aimed at tackling security challenges such as armed robbery, kidnapping, cultism, communal clashes and sundry crimes “which usually become more pronounced in the build up to the Yuletide, when many citizens return home to celebrate.”

The army spokesman noted that the exercise will focus on enhancing the capabilities of troops in intelligence gathering and effective, proactive response to criminalities.

“With the exercise, we aim to improve the security in the South East and ensure safety of the populace during the period that will culminate in the yuletide. The exercise will also focus on securing critical infrastructures.”

“By conducting this exercise, we aim to curb economic sabotage, protect national assets and ensure a stable environment for economic growth,” the senior military officer told journalists.