The Nigerian Army is to launch a new operation code named “Operation Last Hold” aimed at ensuring quick return of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their ancestral homes and fast tracking economic recovery of Northern Borno. Addressing journalists during a press conference weekend at the Army Headquarters, Abuja, Chief of Training and Operations (Army), Maj. Gen. David Ahmadu said the operation, which begins May 1 and ends August 31, 2018, would be conducted in conjunction with the Nigerian Navy, the Nigerian Air Force and other security agencies is also aimed at clearing hideouts of the Boko Haram terrorists and rescue of hostages in the Lake Chad fringes.
He said: “The complex and adaptive nature of the Boko Haram insurgency has resulted in the dissident group still sometimes being engaged in abductions, attack on soft targets, Improvised Explosive Device attacks and suicide bombings” “It has become expedient for the Nigerian Army to change operating tactics, techniques and procedure in the North East region.
“Operation LAST HOLD is conceptualised to involve the conduct of population influence activities targeted to improve Civil-Military relations in the North East region. “It is pertinent to note that Operation LAST HOLD is set to record remarkable achievements that would make the nation proud of the Nigerian Army’s determination at sustaining its constitutional role of defending the territorial integrity of the nation as well as its commitment to aid the civil authority to bring about peace and security.” He enjoyed residents of the Northeast not to panic, as “their safety and wellbeing have been deliberately factored in the operation.”
In his address, the Chief of Civil Military Affairs (CCMA), Maj. Gen. Nuhu Angbazo said said the army would engage in “robust” civic activities during 2018 Nigerian Army Day Celebration (NADCEL), which he said would be held in the Lake Chad fringes. He said the Nigerian Army engineers would engage in the reconstruction of houses and clearance of farmland in Northern Borno to facilitate the return of IDPs to their homes.
“The Civil military activities such medical outreach, sanitation exercises, renovation/construction of boreholes and town hall meetings are tailored towards winning the hearts and minds of the civil populace within the theatre,” he said. The CCMA said the army would also hold security and town hall meetings with traditional and religious leaders in the areas, as well as de-radicalisation workshops at selected IDPs camps.
