Military to launch joint operation against Fulani herdsmen

The Nigerian military has indicated plans to launch a joint operation against the activities of Fulani herdsmen across the country in response to a presidential order, directing it to secure communities that are being attacked and to fish out the perpetrators of the murderous activities.

This was disclosed by the Acting Director, Defence Information, Brig. Gen. Rabe Abubakar, on Thursday, adding that the expected operation would not be restricted to a single service of the Armed Forces.

According to Abubakar, the operation would be similar to the ones formed to battle the insurgency in the North-East, the militancy in the Niger Delta and other parts of the country.

It would be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari had given the Chief of Defence Staff, CDS and the Inspector General of Police, IGP, the marching orders after the public outrage that greeted the murder of 50 people at Ukpabi Nimbo Community in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State by suspected Fulani herdsmen on Monday.

Read also: Enugu Attack : S/East Senators raise alarm over imminent danger

The Defence spokesman further said that the issue of the threat posed by the herdsmen would be given the deserved attention by the military.

“The ideas of joint operation will always be there because it is a common knowledge that it is not a one service business. It must involve all other security agencies.

“Each and every one of us has a role to play: physical security, giving information, synergising with other stakeholders. That is what we are doing in the North-East and the Niger Delta and other parts. It would involve not only the military.

“The current resurgence of this issue of herdsmen is something which must be given a priority now that there is a glaring security threats to lives and property which the Armed Forces and other security agencies cannot close their eyes to.

“All efforts are now on towards ensuring that there is security of lives and property in the general area where such activities of herdsmen are being carried out.

“Just of recent, the President has given us a directive and it is something which we must comply with and in other cases, we deploy our men through operations such as the one against cattle rustling, Operation Sharandaji, which is to ensure that no herdsmen involved in criminal activities are spared

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