From Mohammed Munirat Nasir, Gusau
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-Gen Tukur Yusuf Buratai, has extended the ongoing Operation Sahel Sanity of the Nigerian Army fighting banditry, kidnapping and cattle rustling in the North-West of the country by three months to enable the operation to sustain its successes in the region.
General Buratai made the announcement after being briefed on the operational activities, successes and achievements of the troops on Operation Sahel Sanity and Operation Hadarin Daji in northwestern part Nigeria especially in Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto and Kaduna states.
‘The operation was supposed to be rounded up by the end of this December but the military authority has decided to extend the program to March 2021 to study the security situation to determine the next line of action,’ he said.
Buratai commended and directed the troops to be in war mood at all times and dominate the area of Operation with constant robust patrols and onslaught against the daredevils.
‘You must remain in war mood, increase your intelligence gathering capabilities and redouble your operational activities particularly during the Yuletide and new year periods and beyond,’ the COAS charged.
Gen Buratai called for collaboration with the civilian population, saying the military and other security forces alone cannot silence the bandits without the total commitment of communities whose duty is to give vital information to the security forces.
‘We are dealing with the bandits and criminals tactfully because they understand every nook and cranny of the forests in the North-West.
‘Where the communities come in is in the area of giving vital information to the military and other security operatives so as to flush out the bandits from the zone without further delay,’ the general stated.
The COAS commended the support being given by the state governments of the North-West in the fight against the bandits, pointing out that the military and other security forces are hard at work to contain the insecurity that has been ravaging the region.