Oyebanji assures army of collaboration as new formation takes off in Ekiti

From Priscilla Ediare, Ado-Ekiti

A new formation of the Nigerian Army is set to take off in Ikere-Ekiti, Ekiti State, with the commencement of the deployment of personnel and materials to the state.

The outgoing Commander of 12 Brigade, Lokoja, Major Gen. Oluremi Fadairo, disclosed this in Ado-Ekiti, the capital of the state, on Monday during a visit to the State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji.

General Fadairo, who led other senior Army officers, including the new Brigade Commander, 12 Brigade, Lokoja, Brig. Gen. Kasim Umar Sidi, and the Commanding Officer of the new Battalion and Garrison Commander, 32 Brigade, Col. Kyari Babakura, in the entourage, said they were in the state to assess the new barracks of the Nigerian Army in Ikere-Ekiti ahead of the deployment of personnel and equipment to the state.

According to a statement by the Special Adviser to the Governor, Yinka Oyebode, made available to journalists in Ado-Ekiti on Tuesday, the Army chiefs expressed satisfaction with the location of the Army barracks in Ikere-Ekiti and assured the Governor that the deployment of personnel would commence at the temporary base immediately.

The Army top brass, however, requested a bigger space to serve as a temporary abode for the deployed personnel.

He assured a more enhanced security and safety in Ekiti with the advent of the Army formation – the 148 Battalion – in the state.

While stressing that the new formation will bring remarkable improvement to the security architecture of the state, especially in the contiguous areas with Kogi State and Ondo State, Major Gen. Fadairo urged residents of the state to give the military the maximum support and cooperation required to enable it to achieve its desired objective of curtailing all forms of insecurity in the state.

Governor Oyebanji, in his remarks, thanked the Nigerian Army for the new development, which he said would further enhance safety and security in the state and confirm Ekiti as the number one choice for people looking for a place to live, work, relax, and invest.

The Governor assured the Army authorities of effective collaboration with the military to strengthen security and stamp out criminal elements from the state.

While affirming that his government has been making frantic and conscious efforts to partner with all relevant security agencies to ensure the safety and security of lives and property in the state, the Governor said his administration had committed huge investment in the security architecture of the state, leading to the state being recognised as the most peaceful in the country.

He expressed appreciation to the Army command in the state for their professionalism and the cordial relationship that exists between them, the government, and the people of the state by exhibiting unusual calmness in the face of undue provocation, adding that the fight against insecurity and insurgency by the Nigerian Army at large is highly commendable.

‘We are grateful to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces for the approval to establish this Battalion in Ekiti State. We are grateful to the Army Command, under the leadership of the Chief of Army Staff, for doing this for us in the state. What you have done for us in Ekiti State is so dear to us. Ekiti State is peaceful, but we also have our own pockets of criminality, and the area where the battalion is sited is one of the most security-challenged places in the state.

‘This is an effort that we will give maximum support to ensure its early take-off. You also see that immediately it was announced, we got the land from the community, and so the people have taken ownership of the project,’ he said.