Chief
of Army Staff, Lt Gen Tukur Buratai, Wednesday warned militants
to stay away from villages along the creeks of Akpabuyo and
Bakassi Local Government Areas of Cross River State, stressing
that the army is fully prepared to flush them out of the area.
Residents
of the areas are alleged to have been living in perpetual
fear due to seemingly unrestrained activities of militants, who
are said to have taken over the creeks in the two council areas.
Chatting
with journalists during flag-off of ‘Exercise Crocodile Smile’
at the Amphibious Training School of the Nigerian Army in Calabar,
the state capital, the army chief noted that the exercise would
help in covering all the areas of the state.
“You
can see the troops that just left here; they are on their way to all
parts of Cross River, especially Bakassi area where
terrorists are suspected to be operating,” he said.
While
addressing the troops shortly after concluding a capability
test and the guard of honor at the school, Burutai commended his
men for their efforts in containing all criminality that
exists within the region.
Burutai,
in a meeting with the state governor, Ben Ayade, who was
represented by his deputy, Prof Ivara Esu, said the exercise was
imperative in view of the challenges in the Niger Delta.
He
said the amphibious training is an aspect that requires constant
training and retraining, and stressed that the exercise had gone a
long way to show that the military is a really gallant outfit in
carrying out its duties.
The
army boss described the cooperation of security agencies in
the state as tremendous, and called on the state government for
continuous support.
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