Army begins ‘Exercise Cat Race’ in Benue, Taraba, others

The Nigerian Army on Wednesday said, it would begin a major deployment of troops to the troubled states of Benue, Taraba, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Kogi and Niger to restore peace and orderliness.

The exercise is tagged: Ayem Akpatuma (Tiv Language) meaning ‘Cat Race’.

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, said the exercise which runs from February 15 to March 31 would be targetted at killer herdsmen, cattle rustlers, armed bandits, kidnappers, armed militias and other criminal elements in the six states.

Addressing journalists at the army headquarters in Abuja, Buratai said the exercise would cover the 1 and 3 Divisions, representing the North West and North Central geopolitical zones of the country, while the Guards Brigade, 707 Special Forces Brigade, and the Headquarters Army Command would also be involved in the exercise.

Buratai, who was represented at the briefing by the Chief of Training and Operations, Army Headquarters, Major- Gen. David Ahmadu, said other security agencies that would be participating in the exercise are the Department of State Security (DSS) the Nigerian Police Force, the Nigerian Immigration Service, the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps and other security organisations in the country.