By Marcus Ikechukwu
To ensure hitch-free celebration during the yuletide period, the 401 Special Forces (SF), Brigade has deployed more personnel to some volatile areas in Benue state to forestall criminality and other attacks.
The SF has also engaged its Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) activities aimed at strengthening the cordial relationship that exists between it and some host communities by providing schools in some Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the state with desks, chairs and exercise books.
The event is a follow-up to the October launch of Exercise Enduring Peace II, “aimed at providing a safe, serene and conducive atmosphere for the Yuletide season and strengthening the CIMIC between the NA and inhabitants of Benue State.”
The Commander 401 SF Brigade of the Nigeria Army (NA), Makurdi, Brigadier General Samaila Uba, disclosed this while extending the Brigade’s CIMIC activities to NKST Primary School, Katsina-Ala, Katsina-Ala LGA and Gaambe-Tiev Community Secondary school, Anyiin, Logo LGA of the state on Tuesday.
Brigadier General Uba said, “The ongoing exercise is part of concerted efforts by the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya in ensuring that more troops are injected into volatile areas to ensure that citizens enjoy hitch-free celebrations during the Yuletide season without fear of crime and criminality which are associated with the period.”
He explained further that COAS also directed all Nigerian Army formations taking part in the ongoing exercises across the country to continually carry out CIMIC activities to strengthen the existing cordial relationship with their host communities.
In furtherance of the educational outreach of communities in the state, Brigadier General Uba also donated 30 desks and chairs as well as 500 copies of Exercise Enduring Peace ll branded notebooks to each of the schools.
During the presentation of the items, Brigadier General Uba noted that he decided to concentrate on educational outreach for 2022 instead of the medical outreach it extended to benefitting communities in 2021 because he desired to encourage the return and resettlement of displaced children back to school.
The Commander also expressed the hope that the items donated to the children “who are our future leaders will help keep their faith alive in pursuing knowledge and encourage them to see education as the bedrock of their career.”
Chairman Katsina-Ala LGA, Alfred Atera, thanked the Brigade Commander for the kind gesture and prayed that the Army would come out victorious over the enemies of the state.
His counterpart in Logo LGA, Mrs Salome Tor, also expressed gratitude to Brigadier General Uba for alleviating the plight of the pupils with the donations.
She prayed to God to comfort him as he went about tirelessly “providing comfort to the little ones in her domain.”
The traditional ruler of Anyiin, Chief Samuel Aluga, pledged to do everything possible to ensure that all needed cooperation and assistance is accorded to the NA in the community whenever the need arises.
Describing the Nigerian Army as “truly a people’s Army”, Aluga said he never expected that people who would lay down their lives for its citizens would also extend outreaches to communities to better the lives of their wards.
RCM Primary School Tyodough, located in the 401 SF Brigade headquarters, had earlier benefitted from Exercise Enduring Peace II on the day the Exercise was launched.
According to the NA, other communities are expected to benefit from its CIMIC activities as the exercise was still ongoing.