From Molly Kilete, Abuja
In what seems to be like a final battle to rout terrorists, bandits, secessionists, kidnappers,and other terrorists groups terrorizing the peace of the country, the Nigerian Armed Forces is set to deploy some of its finest officers to the frontlines any moment from now.
Daily Sun gathered that deployment was in preparation for the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Lucky Irabor, Chief Of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya, Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Auwal Gambo, and the Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshall Oladayo Amos, to exit the service after May 29.
While the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), has since appointed some Air Officers Commanding, commanders, and Branch Chiefs to run its various units and formations across the country, the Nigerian Army and the Navy are expected to come with their list of newly deployed officers any time from now.
Top sources revealed that while the Army as the ground troops leads the battles, and supported by the NAF and the Navy, the deployment as soon as it completed would redefine virtually all ongoing military operations in the country.
It was gathered that while some new General Officers Commanding, and Air Officers Commanding may be appointed, intense military operations would commence in the Northeast, Northwest, North central, Southeast and the sotuthwest to chase out criminals who are possible threats to the upcoming general elections next month in the country. Top military sources who do not want to be mentioned in print as they are not authorized to do so, said the spate of kidnapping of innocent persons in the Southeast part of the country is giving a nightmare to the Federal Government, who have directed the military to stop the menace at all cost.
It was gathered that similar directives has also been handed down to the military to rout terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, and other criminals operating in the Northeast, Northwest, Southwest, and the southsouth parts of the country.
To this end, new operations have been introduced to add to the already existing ones to achieve result.
A top security source told Daily Sun, that with proper coordination of the Army, Navy and the Air Force, the CDS, General Lucky Irabor, has been able to put the service chiefs on their toes and bring them together to fight as one, unlike in the past when the service worked at logger heads and claims superiority over who is in charge.
The source hinted that the story has since changed as the service chiefs now work as a team and assist each other at the shortest possible notice.
With the new directives to the military to hunt down all criminal elements to pave the way for a crisis free elections, the coming days would witness the appointments of various commanders for the existing and newly established military operations in the country just as many Forward Operation Base(FOB), would be coming on board in various parts of the country.
A military source who would not want to be mentioned in print, hinted that the anti banditry operations would be intensified in the coming days as more fighter jets in the inventory of the NAF, would be deployed to all flanks to give the bandits the battle of their lives. This is just as the source said that several criminal hideouts have been uncovered in different parts of the country including the Federal Capital Territory.
To this end, it was gathered that a discreet operations has been ongoing where several of these hideouts have been destroyed with the recoveries of several arms, ammunition, dangerous weapons and other logistics of the criminals.
It was also gathered that motorcycles tuning into hundreds which are some of the major operational tools of the criminals have been impounded and destroyed.
Already, security agencies have sounded a warning to estate owners in the FCT on some things to look out for to rid criminals off their estate which include the ban of commercial motorcycle and proper documentation of commercial tricycle operators before allowing them to operate in their estates. The security agencies have also warned estate owners to ban water vendors, shoe Coblers, tailors and other menial job seekers from gaining access into their estate.
Meanwhile security has been beefed up in and around the FCT to prevent hoodlums from making the nations capital a safe haven to carry out their nefarious activities.
Apart from the Guards Brigade, who takes charge of the security of the president, his immediate family ,and the FCT, the Army Headquarters Garrison(AHQ), the Defence Headquarters Garrison, the Defence Headquarters has deployed operation Whilstoke in addition to the already existing security outfits to ensure an round security of the FCT.