The Nigerian Army is set to flag off Exercise
CROCODILE SMILE II on Friday, October 13, 2017.
Below is a statement
signed by Brigadier General Sani Kukasheka Usman, Director Army Public
Relations.
The Exercise, set to span across 3 Divisions of the Nigerian Army (2, 6 and 81 Divisions), is in line with the
2017 Training Directives which aims at training troops in the conduct
of Internal Security Operations in aid of Civil Authorities across the
various formations’ areas of responsibilities, based on Constitutional
provisions.
It will be recalled that last year, between
November and December 2016, Exercise CROCODILE SMILE I was conducted
within the Niger Delta States to curtail prevailing security challenges
then.
These challenges include illegal oil bunkering,
pipeline vandalism, kidnapping and militancy amongst others. Exercise
CROCODILE SMILE II is specifically designed to further the gains and
consolidate on the successes of Exercise CROCODILE SMILE I.
Additionally,
with the operationalization of 6 Division Nigerian Army, earlier in the
year, the need to exercise troops in an amphibious environment makes it
expedient to hold Exercise CROCODILE SMILE II.
Moreover,
this exercise will complement the on-going Exercise EGWU EKE II in the
South-Eastern part of the country. Let us not be quick to forget the
scenario in which these exercises are carried out.
EGWU
EKE II became expedient due to the mindless assassinations (even in
religious places), attack on security personnel, theft of weapons, armed
banditry, kidnapping and cultism, among other security challenges.
In
a similar vein, security challenges in the South West and Niger Delta
geo-political regions such as illegal oil bunkering, pipeline vandalism,
cultism, kidnapping, militancy and other challenges are becoming
rampant.
The need for troops to sharpen their skills to
cope with these security challenges within the 2, 6 and 81 Divisions’
Area of Responsibilities calls for the conduct of Exercise CROCODILE
SMILE II.
Also, in actualizing the Chief of Army Staff’s
vision, which is to ‘To have a Professionally Responsive Nigerian Army
in the Discharge of its Constitutional Roles, accentuates the call for
the conduct of this exercise in conjunction with sister services and
other security agencies.
This exercise will
therefore be conducted with the involvement of other security agencies
such as the Nigerian Police and Nigeria Security, Department of State
Services, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Nigeria Customs
Service and National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, just to mention a few.
EXERCISE
CROCODILE SMILE II is also conceptualized to leverage on real time
intelligence to curtail insecurity, thereby fulfilling both training and
operational objectives.
Accordingly, Exercise
Headquarters would be established in the field to facilitate open
communication between members of the public and exercising troops.
Emphasis
will be placed on raids, cordon and search operations, anti-kidnapping
drills, road blocks, check points and other amphibious operations.
Community support activities such as medical outreaches will also
feature prominently during the Exercise.
In this regard,
members of the public are enjoined not to panic on seeing the movement
of military equipment and troops to staging areas as their safety and
well-being is guaranteed at all times.
The public is
also requested to remain vigilant, security conscious and report
suspected criminals who will likely flee the military exercise areas to
find safe haven among communities.
Contact phone numbers
of all Brigade Commanders in the exercise areas would be made public in
addition to the Nigerian Army short code Information and call Centre
193.
You are please requested to disseminate this information to the public through your medium.
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