Herdsmen Attacks: Military to Launch Operation Accord

By Senator Iroegbu in Abuja

The military in response to desperate calls by Nigerians to address the increasing attacks by the suspected Fulani herdsmen against settlers and farmers in parts of the country plans to launch operation Accord.

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Gabriel Olonisakin, disclosed this yesterday, while receiving the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ibrahim Idris at the Defence Headquarters ( DHQ), Abuja.

Olonisakin said that “the armed force is preparing to launch ‘Operation Accord’ to tackle the menace occasioned by armed bandits in the recent spate of farmers and cattle herders’ clashes across the country”.

He further disclosed that a committee set up by the DHQ had visited some flash points of recent clashes in the country to assess the situation.

He also said that troops were being trained with the competence to operate in all terrains, especially in tackling the state of insecurity created by the herdsmen.

The CDS stressed that the Nigerian military and police must collaborate in order to restore, maintain and sustain security in the country.

Earlier, Idris agreed that the military and the police must collaborate further to stay ahead of security challenges in the country.

He however solicited for assistance from the military in the training of the Nigeria police marine unit to enhance security operations in the Niger Delta region.

The IGP revealed that the police had taken over the responsibility of providing security in nine Local Government Areas in the North Eastern part of the country.

He explained that “the police have been briefed to take over 19 local government areas but only nine has been taken over”.

He explained that the delay in deployment to the other 10 may be due to military exigencies.

Idris also called for improved synergy between military and police joint operation at state commands.

To this, he proposed a joint operations command to coordinate all security operations in the states.