Twenty three militants were killed with 38 of their camps and 91 illegal refineries as well as bunkering sites were destroyed during the just-concluded military exercise in the Niger Delta region codenamed ‘Crocodile Smile’.
The General Officer Commanding (GOC) 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Enugu, Major-General Ibrahim Attahiru, stated this yesterday.
The exercise, he said, was aimed at stemming growing restiveness in the region. Attahiru, who addressed journalists in Enugu, also disclosed that the Army recorded 4 casualties.
The Army, he added, recovered 55 assorted weapons from militants in the Niger Delta.
He warned that the Army formation in Enugu will continue to halt the myriad of security threats cum economic sabotage within its area of responsibility.
The GOC assured the Army will not tolerate any attempt at brazen attacks on national critical infrastructure, oil and gas resources and overall strangulation of the socio-economy of law abiding citizenry by any group of militants or criminals.
According to him: “The Exercise Crocodile smile ended not just as a training exercise but also as a way of demonstrating the capacity and efficacy of the Nigerian Army to secure lives and property in the Niger Delta and Southeast Nigeria.”
