CDS Assures Zamfara Farmers of Adequate Security against Terrorists, Bandits
·Army charges field commanders on professionalism, tactical operations
Onuminya Innocent in Sokoto and Linus Aleke in Abuja
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, yesterday, assured farmers in Zamfara State of free access to their farms to cultivate without bandits interference, stating that the Armed Forces of Nigeria will provide security to the farmers to ensure bountiful harvests to ease the current hardship in the country.
This was as the Acting General Officer Commanding (GOC) 8 Division, Brig. Gen. Ibikunle Ajose, charged field commanders to embrace professionalism and making inform decisions for success of operations in tackling the menace of insecurity .
General Musa who was in Zamfara on an official assignment to operational areas in furtherance of his commitment to tackling insecurity in the country, said the people of Zamfara are looking “happy” despite the security challenges facing the state.
The CDS disclosed these at the Government House Gusua, also assured the Governor of Zamfara, Dauda Lawal, of having good, dedicated and committed team of security heads in the state, pledging to bring all the notorious bandits to book soon.
A statement by Acting Director, Defence Information, Brig. Gen. Tukur Gusau, said Gen. Musa further appealed to the good people of Zamfara State not to allow themselves to be used as informants to the bandits to scuttle military operations, rather they should provide vital information to the security agencies to help eliminate bandits.
He seized the opportunity to inform the governor of a change in the Defence Headquarters led operations in the state.
According to him, “The operations has now assumed a theatre Command status with General officers Commanding as component Commanders, respectively.”
This he said is to enable for proper synergy and control between state actors, saying the operation is now code named ‘Operation FANSAN YAMMA’.
The CDS added that Mr. President has approved the deployment of additional military platforms to achieve better results.
He expressed appreciation to the governor for his support to the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) and other security agencies in the state, commending the governor for the noticeable development within the past one year.
Also, the Defence Chief assured the governor of restoring peace to the state, which he said is the mandate from Mr. President.
He maintained that the troops cannot be everywhere, “we need positive men and women to help the process of achieving peace.”
In his address to the troops of OPERATION HADARIN DAJI who bravery ambushed and killed scores of terrorists today (Friday), the CDS charged them to develop positive mindsets to winning the war.
According to him, ” Machines don’t fight war but humans do.”
He pledge to provide every necessary platforms to execute the fight.
The CDS also promised to vigourosly pursue their welfare, as he rewarded their bravery instantly.
The Zamfara State Governor, Lawal, in his response, thanked the CDS for finding time to travel by road from Abuja to Zamfara.
He said “it show a significant level of commitment.”
Meanwhile, Ajose, who gave the charge at the closing ceremony of a five-day Operation Planning Cadre Training for Army personnel in Sokoto, noted that the Nigerian Army was fully leveraging modern technology utilisation toward enhancing personnel efficiency and professionalism to combat insurgency, terrorism, and other crimes.
He described the training themed, ‘Leveraging New Technologies for Innovative Operations Planning Processes by Commanders in a Joint Environment’, as apt and timely.
The GOC explained that the training was aimed at addressing the dynamic nature of modern warfare and the increasing role of technology in shaping military operations.
”The security environment is evolving rapidly, the challenges we face are multidimensional, complex and often transformational.
”We are confronting insurgency, tackling terrorism, banditry or maintaining internal security.
”There is need for innovation and adaptation capacity in our operation, planing and processes,” Ajose said.
According to him, technology is vital to modern military operations, reflecting global standards to boost capability, accuracy, and strategic effectiveness.
He urged participants to fully practice the knowledge gained at the inter-agency collaborations, coordination, intelligent gathering and management as tools for successful conduct of operations.
”Our strength lies on our capabilities to handle complex issues, make right decisions, ensure discipline and proper commands.
“Personnel must possess the requisite capacity and competence to effectively tackle these challenges through deliberate understanding and deployment of principles and planning procedures for the conduct of operations,” he said.
He stressed that the training was in line with the philosophy of the Chief Of Army Staff (COAS), to transform Nigerian Army into a well-trained, equipped and highly motivated force towards achieving the constitutional responsibilities within a joint environment.
The training featured lecture presentations from different experts, experienced sharing and practical solutions to emerging challenges.
The participants of the workshop were also drawn from Nigeria Police, Nigeria Custom Service (NCS), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) among others.
