Southern Kaduna Crisis: Military Introduce “Operation Kunama 11”
In a bid to ending the massacre ravaging Southern Kaduna, the military has introduce a drilling exercise codenamed “Operation Kunama 11”.
Also plan are underway to rename its exercise in the South East code-named “Operation Python Dance” in order to contain kidnapping in the region.
These were parts of the resolutions reached at the Presidential Villa in Abuja at a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari and service chiefs as well as the Inspector-General of Police and the Director-General of the Department of State Security.
Addressing State House correspondents after the meeting, Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Yusuf Buratai, said the Operation Kunama planned for Southern Kaduna would be extended to parts of Plateau and Kano States.
“Our troops are already in Southern Kaduna. We have our special forces operating there along with all other security agencies, and we intend also to have an exercise very soon in Southern Kaduna to cover some parts of Plateau and indeed parts of Kano State.
“So, it is part of our strategy for this year to continue all the exercises we have had before. We will be having exercise Kunama 11 which will come into Southern Kaduna State and parts of Plateau and Kano States; (Operation) Crocodile Smile in the Niger Delta and indeed the Python Dance. But we are going to rename the Python Dance for the Southeast this year also.”
Buratai said the troops attached to Operation Lafiya Dole were continuing operations in the North East as they “are still moving all over the area (Sambisa forest).
He reiterated that the presidential directive of restoring peace in the North East is a task that must be accomplished at all cost.
The Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali, said the meeting passed resolutions on all the issues discussed.
Asked whether Nigeria would send troops to the Gambia in case President Yahya Jameh’s refusal to quit results in any violence, he said no conclusion had been reached on the matter, adding that the ECOWAS leaders are working on the issue of any forceful removal.
