By Adetutu Folasade-Koyi
Finally, after one month filled with drama, alleged killings and alleged deadly vaccination stories, the Nigerian Army has formally ended Operation Python Dance II (Exercise Egwu Eke II) in the South East.
General Officer Commanding 82 Division of the army, Major General Adamu Baba Abubakar, who represented Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, formally ended the Egwu Eke II on Saturday, October 14, 2017.
In a statement by the Deputy Director, Public Relations of the division, Colonel Sagir Musa, the closing ceremony took place in Sector 1 Tactical Headquarters at Umuahia, Abia state, for one hour, on Saturday 14 October 2017, with the traditional activation of camp fire, which formally signified successful completion of the exercise.
“General Abubakar commended all the officers, soldiers and personnel of paramilitary organisations that collaborated and synergised, worked tirelessly and commendably throughout the one month period of the exercise.”
Sagir also said “the achievements recorded during the exercise, in the areas of attainment of the mission, specific training objectives, improvement in peace and security, curtailing the menace of violent irredentist groups in the theatre of the exercise (South Eastern part of Nigeria) is remarkable.”
The state government was represented by Engineer Emmanuel Nwabuko, who expressed appreciation of the government and people of the state for the numerous achievements of the exercise “in terms of improvement of peace, security and stability of the state.”
He remarked further that “the collaborative relationship with the army can be traced to the time when, in 2010 to 2011, kidnappers, armed robbers and other hoodlums paralysed economic and social activities in the state.
“It was the army that rescued us. So, we are ready to always leverage on this relationship whenever the need arise.”
The operation ended on a controversial note though.
Last week, stories made the rounds of some military officials forcefully injecting students in the South East with vaccines and that some had died. This led to panic withdrawal of students by parents.
Quick to respond was Enugu State Government which described the stories as “unfortunate and uncalled for.”
Thereafter, Abia state government calmed nerves when it debunked the stories.
In Anambra, Governor Willie Obiano, ordered the army to stop its medical outreach, which is usually part of the operation while Ebonyi State Commissioner for Health, Dr Daniel Umezurike, also debunked the information.
Quickly, the army also debunked the stories.
Assistant Director, Army/Public Relations, 14 Brigade, Ohafia, Major Oyegoke Gbadamosi, said the army did not organise any immunisation, and that the information was mere propaganda intended to tarnish its image.