By Mohammed Munirat Nasir (Zamfara State Correspondent)
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt General Tukur Yusuf Buratai, has extended the ongoing Operation Sahel Sanity of the Nigerian Army fighting banditry, kidnapping, and cattle rustling in the North West Zone by three months, to enable the operation to sustain recorded successes in the region.
Buratai made the disclosure after being briefed on the operational activities, successes, and achievements of the troops on Operation Sahel Sanity and Operation Hadarin Daji in the North-Western part of Nigeria, especially in Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, and Kaduna states.
"The operation was supposed to be rounded up by the end of this December but the military authority has decided to extend the program to March 2021 to study the security situation to determine the next line of action," he said.
Buratai commended and directed the troops to be in a warm mood at all times and dominate the area of Operation with constant robust patrols and onslaught against the daredevils.
"You must remain in war mood, increase your intelligence-gathering capabilities, and redouble your operational activities particularly during the Yuletide and new year periods and beyond, " he charged.
Buratai called for collaborative efforts between the civil populace as only the military and other security operatives can not silence the bandits without the total commitment of the communities whose duty is to give vital information to the security operatives.
"We are dealing with the bandits and criminals tactfully because they understand every nook and corner of the forests in the Northwest.
"Where the communities come in is in the area of giving vital information to the military and other security operatives so as to flush out the bandits from the zone without further delay," he said.
The COAS however commended the supports being giving by the Northwest governments in the fight against bandits, pointing out that the military and other security operatives are not sleeping because of the insecurity situation that has been ravaging the entire northwest. NNL.
