The General Officer Commanding (GOC) 81 Division Nigerian Army, Major General Obinna Ajunwa has flagged off ‘OPERATION STILL WATERS’ in Lagos and Ogun States to address insecurity during the festive period.
Major General Ajunwa during the flag off at Foru Terminal Ikorodu Road Ojota Motor Park, Lagos State stated that the whole idea of the Exercise was to assess troops in various aspects of leadership, civil military cooperation, critical knowledge of maneuver, and its application as well as command and control in Military Operations Other Than War in a multi-agency setting.
The GOC noted that the Exercise would provide a good opportunity for conducting joint operations with other Services and relevant security agencies to strengthen inter-agency cooperation for the efficient conduct of operations in aid of civil authority.
General Ajunwa disclosed that the Exercise will be based on the Nigerian Army Forward Operating Base Concept and will involve Civil Military Cooperation activities as well as media operations.
In his words, “the objective of the exercise among others is to reduce to the barest minimum the prevailing security threats in the riverine environment such as piracy, illegal oil bunkering activities, pipeline vandalism, cultism, militancy, terrorism, and some other common sundry crimes”.
He added that the Exercise will be intelligence driven and will dovetail into real-time operations at any moment a potential threat is encountered.
The GOC assured that the waterways would also be secured because there would be military gunboats on patrol and soldiers would be deployed to water banks and jetties across Ogun and Lagos States.
Also speaking at the event, the Commander 9 Brigade, Brigadier General Isangubong Akpamoutia stated that a recent intelligence report revealed an unprecedented wave of criminals within the environs have taken over some communities to perpetuate criminal acts.
He disclosed that despite efforts of security agencies, these criminal elements have continued to engage in criminal activities such as kidnapping, banditry, militancy, cultism, and other crimes within the city of Lagos.
The Commander further noted that the Brigade is tasked to conduct this exercise to curtail these criminal activities in conjunction with other Sister Services and security agencies as the yuletide approaches.
He also said the exercise will involve the physical deployment of troops to the field where they would conduct real-time patrols against criminal elements within the environment.
Furthermore, the exercise would test the unit and sub-unit commanders in battle procedures and decision-making processes regarding the employment of weapons and assets in internal security operations.
It will also test the ability of troops to communicate skills and communication security in an operational environment.
“This exercise will also expose commanders to levels of service support available to them at the tactical level for Operations, among many other things,” General Akpaumontia said.
The highlight of the Flagged off Exercise included a guided tour of the GOC and other guests around the Exercise Area, a symbolic flag-off of the Exercise, and the conduct of Medical outreach at the Ojota Motor Park.
