From Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt Gen Femi Oluyede has assured that the Nigerian Army will bring to justice all those behind the recent killings and attacks in Benue and Plateau states.
Oluyede gave the assurance while declaring open a media chat organized by the Nigerian Army in Akure, the Ondo State capital.
Represented by the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 2 Division Nigerian Army, Major Gen Obinna Onubogu, the Chief of Army Staff said “we shall go after them, and by God’s grace, we will get them.”
He reiterated that the military is fully committed to ending the spate of violence and will not allow Nigeria’s territorial integrity or internal security to be compromised by criminal elements.
His words “the Nigerian Army has remained engaged in Plateau, in Benue, in Kwara and in quite a number of states that are experiencing insecurity.
“In Benue, particularly, you will see, in the coming weeks, very elaborate security arrangements to ensure that all that is going on there completely stop.”
“We are mindful that some of these people may be foreign elements. The behavior we are seeing is utterly despicable, the way they go about their work. It does not reflect any kind of national identity or value system.”
The army chief emphasized that the military has received clear directives from President Bola Tinubu to act decisively, saying “the President has given very clear orders for us to go out there. And so we are out, fully deployed and tackling the menace head-on.”
He appealed to communities and local stakeholders to support military operations by sharing timely intelligence:
He said “the Army cannot be everywhere at once. Nigeria is a vast country and we are not as large in number as many people believe. We rely heavily on the support and cooperation of the local population to provide timely and credible information.”
“In some cases, unfortunately, the people are not very helpful in terms of the information they give out, which delay our reaction time. That must change if we are to win this fight together.
“Whatever it takes, we shall ensure that these activities, particularly in the North-Central geo political zone are brought to a stop. We are on ground, and we will continue until peace is fully restored,” he added.
He noted that while some of the attacks are attributed to herders, “there is growing concern that some perpetrators may not even be Nigerians.”