Rose Ejembi, Makurdi

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, has flagged-off the Exercise Ayem Akpatuma in Benue with assurances that it is not an ‘operation’ and is not targeted at any individual.

“First and foremost let me make it clear, that this is not an operation but an exercise that is essentially a military exercise. And we want to assure you that we are not targeting any individual. 

“It is an exercise that will help our officers and soldiers understand the basics that is required for internal security operations which include ambushes, military patrol, including civil military activities that we would undertake during this exercise. It would also include medical outreach as well as other programs that would help us interact with the society in general.”

Buratai, who arrived Makurdi on Monday evening, paid a courtesy visits to State Governor Samuel Ortom at the Government House on Tuesday morning with a promise that the exercise would help familiarize the troops with the challenge of internal security.

“I am here today on a courtesy visit [to] the Governor of Benue State on exercise Ayem Akpatuma. Ayem Akpatuma is an exercise that would help familiarise our troops to the challenge of internal security and this is jointly being conducted with other services of the Armed Forces as well as other security agencies, especially the police, DSS and other paramilitary organizations.

“I am not going to trace the history of the challenges that this part of the country is faced with but, by and large, it is our hope and expectation that at the end of the exercise we expect that things would normalize.

“This is a way of contributing our own quota towards ensuring that we support the civil authorities to assuage whatever challenges they have over the situation that is facing our society.”

He assured that the exercise would be covering virtually the whole of Benue State as well as the neighboring states, stressing further that this will help the individuals that have been displaced to be able to go back to their respective homes.

“We don’t want a situation where we are involved so much in ceremonial activities but we will go straight to the field and see how we can get things done properly,” the Army chief stated.

The flag-off ceremony, which took place at the operation base of Ayem Akpatuma at LGEA Primary School, Mbambegha, Guma Local Government Area, also had in attendance Governor Bello Yahaya of Kogi and Deputy Governor of Nasarawa State, Silas Agara, as well as Senator George Akume, among other officials.

Responding, Governor Ortom who thanked President Buhari for approving the exercise in Benue, urged the Military to do everything in its power to ensure that peace returns to the middle belt state.

“I thank the President for approving the exercise in Benue state. I don’t know the difference between ‘exercise’ and ‘operation’. It’s a military terminology so I don’t want to delve into that. But I urge you to ensure that normalcy returns to Benue State. That is what we want and we look forward to,” the Governor said.

Ortom, who expressed optimism that the exercise will support civil society, said if successful the over 160,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) currently taking refuge in camps would waste no time in returning back to their homes.

“We now have over 160 IDPs and it’s quite challenging taking care of them. It is our desire that confidence be built in them and the killers of our people are completely arrested or they should be arrested or they leave us alone,” Ortom stated.

The Governor reiterating that the law is meant to provide a win-win for both farmers and herdsmen, maintained that the law was enacted with all sense of humility and sincerity to ensure that herdsmen and farmers live together without strife.

“It is not targeted at any individual but meant to instill [the] rule of law… and we believe that our laws should be obeyed if you decide to stay in Benue without being harassed by anyone whatsoever.”