Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, on Wednesday, praised President Muhammadu Buhari for his unrelenting commitment to the security of lives and property of Nigerians despite obvious challenges.
Ugwuanyi gave the commendation in Enugu while flagging off “Exercise Golden Dawn 2“, a training exercise hosted by the Nigerian Army under the Area of Responsibility (AOR) of its 82 Division.
“In spite of the numerous challenges, President Buhari has been relentless in tackling security challenges in the country and ensuring the safety of lives and property.
“I must also commend him as the Commander-in-Chief for approving this training exercise meant to checkmate crime and criminality in its entirety,” said the governor, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Simon Ortuanya.
He said that the training exercise was coming at an appropriate period as crime rate usually spiked during the yuletide season.
Ugwuanyi also thanked the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Faruk Yahaya for approving the hosting of the exercise.
The governor assured the Nigerian Army of his administration’s commitment to internal security operations aimed at stemming criminality.
“We want to assure you of our commitment to partner with the Nigerian Army in this regard,” he said.
Earlier, General Officer Commanding (GOC) the 82 Division, Maj.-Gen. Umar Musa, said that Exercise Golden Dawn 2 was in line with the Nigerian Army training directive for the year and it would involve troops, units and formations of the Division.
Musa, who said that the exercise would run from Oct. 14 to Jan. 3, 2023, noted that it would be conducted alongside sister services, paramilitary and other security agencies within South-East and other areas of the Division’s AOR.
He said: “The exercise, aimed at checkmating crime such as cultism, kidnapping, armed robbery and other sundry criminality within the South-East, is geared at protecting lives and property during and after the yuletide season.
“It is also meant to enhance troops’ level of professionalism and preparedness in curbing security challenges within the Division’s AOR.
“The exercise will involve the assessment of the effective application of the Nigerian Army Code of Conduct as well as adherence to Rules of Engagement (ROE) in line with international best practices and Civil Military Cooperation (CIMIC).”
The GOC solicited the understanding and cooperation of law abiding citizens and advised them to go about their lawful businesses during the period of the exercise.
He charged the troops participating in the exercise to ensure utmost professionalism by protecting the human rights of law abiding citizens, as well as sticking to the rules of engagement. (NAN)