Herdsmen attacks: Buratai launches ‘Operation Cat Race’ in Benue
As part of moves by the Federal Government to curtail attacks on people of Benue State by suspected Fulani herdsmen and to end the incessant herdsmen/ farmers’ clashes, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai, yesterday launched a special operation tagged: “Exercise Ayem A Kpatuma,” otherwise code named “Exercise Cat Race.”
The operation was launched by the COAS along with representatives of the Chiefs of Air and Naval Staff, while Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State and the Deputy Governor of Nasarawa State, Mr. Silas Agara were at the event which took place at the LGEA Primary School Mbabegha in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, exercise’s operational headquarters.
Buratai, however, assured the people that the exercise was not targeted at any individual or group of people, but criminal elements, insisting that it was to “help the military and officers to understand the basics required in internal security operations including ambush, raid, patrol and civil military activities.”
Buratai went on: “This is not an operation, it is essentially an exercise and we want to assure everybody that we are not targeting any individual. It is an exercise that will help our officers and soldiers to understand the basics that are required in internal security operation which will include ambushes, raids, patrols, and other civil military activities that we will undertake during the exercise such as medical outreach and programmes aimed at helping us to interact with the people in general.
Buratai, who explained that Exercise Ayem A Kpatuma would cover the entire state and neighbouring states, expressed hope that it would go a long way in ensuring return of an enduring peace to the affected communities and safe return of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their ancestral homes.
The Army Chief also assured the displaced persons of the commitment of the military to ensure that normalcy returns to the trouble communities, even as he urged them to avail themselves of the medical outreach programme for treatment of their various ailments.
The state Governor, Samuel Ortom, while commending President Muhammadu Buhari for his effort in curtaining the crisis, said the state government was already grappling with the challenges of taking care of over 60,000 IDPs across the seven different camps.
This was even as he expressed optimism that the insurgents would be repelled by the soldiers to enable the people go back to their homes. Ortom, who informed the COAS of fresh invasion of Kwande and Gwer West Local Government Areas by Fulani herdsmen, said the anti-open grazing law, which was validly passed by the state House of Assembly was promulgated to ensure peace between the farmers and the Fulani cattle rearers.
