Yuletide: Army Identifies Hotspots, Arrests 88 Suspected Criminals

As the Yuletide season approaches, the Nigerian Army has vowed to dominate hotspots on the nation’s roads and assured travellers of safety.

The director, Army Public Relations, Brig-Gen Onyema Nwachukwu, made the assertion yesterday while briefing journalists on the ongoing three major Nigerian Army exercises namely; Still Waters, Enduring Peace and Golden Dawn at Army Headquarters.

Launched on October 9, 2023, the “Exercises Still Waters, Enduring Peace and Golden Dawn” in the South-South, South-West, North-Central and South-East geopolitical zones respectively cover 20 states and the FCT.

He said troops conducting the exercise arrested 88 criminals, killed 13 others and recovered arms and ammunition in two months.

Nwachukwu said the exercises are traditionally scheduled to hold in the last quarter of the year to checkmate all forms of crimes, as the yuletide approaches. “As it stands today, troops have maintained an offensive posture, conducting several kinetic and non-kinetic operations in the forms of raids on criminal hideouts and patrols amongst others. So far, all the exercises have recorded significant successes,” he said.

In the South West, he said troops on Exercise Still Waters in conjunction with personnel of Nigerian Immigration Service, Lagos State Command, raided a suspected criminal hideout at Ifako Ijaye.

Brig-Gen Nwachukwu said troops during the operation arrested 50 suspects including foreigners who specialise in international job racketeering.

Similarly, troops arrested two suspects at a Hotel in Ogba in Ikeja LGA.

He said the suspect is linked to the murder of one Mallam Idris Ardo from Plateau State.

“Preliminary investigation reveals that one of the arrested suspects masterminded the killing of the Ardo and fled the community since the incident occurred,” he said.