The killing of people in the middle belt Fulani herdsmen has gotten to the pick that Nigerians are fed up but news got to us that the NIGERIAN ARMY has launched a new Operation Code-named “AYEM AKPATUM”, meaning ‘CAT RACE’ to tackle the crises between Herdsmen and Farmers as well as cases of kidnapping in Benue, Taraba, Kaduna and other States.

Chief of Training and Operations, Major General David Ahmadu, announced this on Wednesday while briefing reporters at the Army Headquarters Conference Room in Abuja.

According to him, the operation will run from February 15 to March 31 in Benue, as well as Taraba, Kogi, Nasarawa, Kaduna and Niger States.

The deployment came after several killings involving farmers and herdsmen in the north-central region of the country which resulted in several deaths and destruction of property worth millions of naira.

Major General Ahmadu recalled that in 2017, the Army conducted several training activities for its personnel in different geopolitical zones of the country, in line with its constitutional role in aid of civil authority.

“Exercise Ayem Akpatuma has become more expedient due to the upsurge in cases of armed banditry, kidnapping and cattle rustling in Kaduna and Niger states, as well as other sundry crimes in Kogi State and herdsmen-farmers clashes and attacks on innocent members of our communities, particularly in Benue, Taraba and Nasarawa states armed militias.

“These security challenges have continued unabatedly in these states despite the efforts sister security agencies to curb them,” he said.

The Army chief further explained that the operation was necessary for troops to be exercised, refreshed and to imbibe the requisite skills to cope with emerging security challenges within the areas of responsibility in aid of civil authority.

He said it was also in line with the drive towards actualising the vision of the Chief of Army Staff, which is “To have a professionally responsive Nigerian Army in the discharge of its constitutional roles.”

“This exercise will be conducted in conjunction with other security agencies such as Department of State Services, the Nigeria Police, and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps. It will also afford the troops an opportunity to effectively checkmate the dreadful activities of the marauding criminal militias perpetrating criminal acts in these States and its environs.

“Additionally, Exercise Ayem Akpatuma is also conceptualised to dovetail into real-time operations, therefulfilling both training and operations objectives of sharpening operational skills of personnel as well as providing an avenue to conduct operations against violent criminals when called upon,” Ahmadu added.
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