From Gyang Bere, Jos
The Commander Operation Safe Haven (OPSH) and General Officer Commanding 3 Division of the Nigeria Army, Major General Ibrahim Ali, has directed troops to brace up security and increased patrol to secure all troubled communities in Plateau State.
Gen. Ali, in a press statement signed by the Military Information Officer, Major Ishaku Gaji Takwa, also debunked media reports which alleged that troops of OPSH told residents that they had no instruction to repel invaders on some communities in Bassa Local Government Area, where several lives were lost and properties destroyed.
“Currently, the Commander, OPSH, has ordered the beefing up of security and increased patrols to safeguard all troubled areas to prevent recurrence of such sad incidents.
“All law abiding citizens are, therefore, enjoined to cooperate with the security agencies by providing credible information that would aid the security agencies in performing their duties.
“The good people of Bassa and environs are once again urged to use the phone numbers distributed by OPSH to report activities of suspicious elements in their domain for prompt response.”
He explained that the Operation Safe Haven was a joint operation involving all security agencies with a mandate of lasting peace on the Plateau and environs.
“It is practically impossible to issue orders to troops and for them not to respond to any distress situation aimed at saving the lives and property of law-abiding citizens, considering that they are drawn from all the security agencies, cutting across ethnic, religious divides and under oath to maintain peace and security in the nation.
“The submission that troops have not been given permission to protect communities is not only false, but wicked as the mandate of OPSH is explicitly clear on what should be done in an event of such an unfortunate situation in line with the SOP.
“It would be appreciated if anyone has information that would help identify personnel that are alleged to have given such an excuse as to not give orders to respond to distress calls. It is also important to stress that prior to deployment, troops are adequately briefed on their expectations for operations in realisation of OPSH mandate.”