By Celestine Okafor Editor-in-Chief/Defence Correspondent)
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya, on Monday, October 4, 2021, performed the flag-off of Exercises GOLDEN DAWN, ENDURING PEACE, and STILL WATER nationwide in Enugu.
The Army Chief symbolically flagged off all Exercises at the venue of Exercise GOLDEN DAWN which took place at Orie-Emene, Enugu East Local Government Area of Enugu State. These Field Training Exercises (FTEs) are routines conducted yearly by the Nigerian Army (NA) and designed to effectively check all forms of criminality and allow for free movement of persons during the Yuletide.
Additionally, the FTEs equally provide a platform to sharpen the skills of participating troops on the conduct of Internal Security Operations. The exercises ran concurrently in 2, 6, 81 and 82 Divisions Areas of Responsibilities(AOR) in the South West, South-South, and southeast regions respectively.
It was also conducted in Headquarters Command Army Records, 401 Special Forces Brigade and Guards Brigade Areas of Responsibilities (AOR) in the North Central States of Kogi, Benue and the Federal Capital territory respectively.
Troops were taken through operational rigors to effectively respond to security challenges, ranging from kidnapping, banditry, thuggery, brigandage, armed robbery, cultism, communal crisis, violent secessionist agitations, farmers-herders clashes, and insurgency, amongst other sundry crimes. This was complemented by robust Civil-Military relations activities in identified communities in the envisaged AORs.
This intervention calls for critical stakeholders to support the Nigerian Army and other security agencies to stem the tide of crimes and criminality across the areas, particularly as the Christmas season approaches.
Members of the general public had been enjoined not to panic at sighting the movement of troops and equipment. They were also urged to continue to support the Nigerian Army and other security agencies with credible information on the activities of criminals in their vicinity. Nigerians were encouraged to take ownership of the exercise for a seamless celebration during the yuletide. NNL
