COAS Reads Riot Act On Benue Attackers

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, says the recent wave of violent killings in Benue State is suspected to be the work of foreign mercenaries, adding that the perpetrators are not Nigerians.

 Oluyede stated this on Saturday, June 21, during the opening of the Nigerian Army Civil-Military Cooperation quarterly media chat held in Akure, the Ondo State capital.

 Oluyede was represented by the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 2 Division Nigerian Army, Ibadan, Major General Obinna Onubogu,  who stated that the conduct of the attackers was a pointer that their behaviours are inconsistent with Nigerian values and national identity.

 “We are mindful that some of these people may be foreign elements,” he stated. “The behaviour we are seeing is utterly despicable, the way they go about their work. It does not reflect any kind of national identity or value system.”

 Oluyede kicked against the killings and displacement perpetrated by the attackers in Benue communities and reiterated the military’s commitment to securing Nigeria’s territorial integrity from both internal and external threats.
 According to him, security forces are refining their strategies to dislodge the armed groups and make sure they face justice.

He said: “The Nigerian Army has remained engaged in Plateau, in Benue, in Kwara, in quite a number of states that are experiencing insecurity.

“In Benue particularly, you will see, in the coming weeks, very elaborate security arrangements to ensure that all that is going on there completely stops. We shall go after them, and by God’s grace, we will get them.”

 According to the COAS, the military has gotten direct orders from President Bola Tinubu to take decisive actions and personnel have already been deployed to areas affected by the violence.

 Oluyede said: “The President has given very clear orders for us to go out there. And so, we are out, fully deployed, and tackling the menace head-on.”

He tasked the communities to assist in military operations with quick and credible information.

He said: “Nigeria is a vast country, and we are not as large in number as many people believe. We rely heavily on the support and cooperation of the local population.

“Unfortunately, the people are not very helpful in terms of the information they give out, which delays our reaction time. That must change if we are to win this fight together.”

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