The ‘Operation Whirlstroke’ currently undergoing military operations in Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba states said they have so far killed 145 bandits, arrested 223 others and also recovered a total of 194 weapons.
Adeyemi Yekini, the commander of the special forces under Operation Whirlstroke, disclosed this while on a courtesy call on Nasarawa State governor, Engr Abdullahi .A. Sule at the Government House, Lafia, on Wednesday, July 17, 2019.
Yekini, also disclosed that the special forces put in place since May last year by the Force Headquarters to address incessant killings and other forms of banditry across the three states, recovered a total of 3, 683 ammunitions and one hand grenade.
The Commander assured that the era of banditry and criminality earlier prevailing across the three states have virtually ended, though occasional security challenges are to be expected, with members of Operation Whirlstroke taking immediate steps to address such breaches.
Tracing the root cause of most of the crises in Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba states to agitations over control of farming and grazing spaces along the River Benue trough, he explained that herdsmen uses the area for grazing because of its lush vegetation, whereas the Tiv people use the area for farming and the Jukun’s use it for fishing.
“The interplay of economic activities among these three different tribes along the River Benue valley, is the cause of the crises we are facing across these three states,” Yekini said.
While noting that Operation Whirlstroke has it bases located along both banks of the River Benue, its special forces are deployed to Giza, in Keana Local Government Area (LGA), Tunga in Awe LGA, Ugya in Toto LGA, Rukubi in Doma LGA, as well as Loko both in Nasarawa state.
He added that though the special forces carried out more operations in Benue State more than in Nasarawa State, they recovered more weapons and arrested more bandits than the other states, which the military commander said was an indication of the security challenges in the state.
Yekini assured the governor that they are on top of the security situation in Nasarawa, Benue and Taraba states, adding that already, economic activities have picked up in areas where previously armed bandits used to carry weapons and roam freely.
He further disclosed that their operation was not limited to military action but that they are also engaged in military/civilian activities in the belief that some of the lingering crisis being faced across the three states cannot be solved by the military alone.
Responding, Engr Sule, commended the special forces for the ability to trace the root cause of the lingering crisis, stressing that it is the only way to solve the problem.
Governor Sule, noted that by taking care of everybody’s interest and giving everyone that sense of belonging, that the issues will definitely be resolved.
He disclosed that the security initiative which started by the previous administration of Senator Umaru Tanko Al-makura, in conjunction with special forces, have begun to yield results, given the relative peace currently enjoyed among the Igbira and Bassa people.
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