The Nigerian Army on Tuesday said its ongoing Operation Cat Race in troubled Benue State yielded tremendous result as troops of Sector 1 (Sub-Sector A) deployed at Yelwata while on routine patrol arrested 10 herdsmen destroying farmland at Tse-Tigir and Tse-Ndugh villages.
A statement from the Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Texas Chukwu, reiterated the efforts of the military to fish out criminals and protect farmlands in the state and its environs.
It read in part: “While in the act of destroying the farmland, the herdsmen sighted the aggressive troops and fled into the Bush. The determines troops pursued and arrest them.
“Items recovered were: 5 motorcycles, 2 machetes, some assorted charms and the sum of N 120,000 only. Suspect and items were handed over to the Nigerian Police for further necessary action.”
The Army is, therefore, seeking the cooperation of the general public by providing general information that would further consolidate its success.
Chukwu also reassured the citizens of the state of the military’s commitment in ridding the state of criminals who take delight in killing innocent citizens.
Operation Cat Race, the military exercise aimed at curbing conflicts and other criminal activities in the north-central that was launched last week Tuesday by the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Tukur Buratai.
The military intervention comes weeks after several attacks by the herdsmen that have since sent many of the state indigenes to their early graves, most notably the dawn of the New Year.
During the inauguration, Buratai warned the troops to engage any group of armed herdsmen terrorising local communities or face a military court-martial while meeting with Governor Samuel Ortom, who has felt the heat in the wake of renewed attacks in his state.
According to General Buratai, the exercise is aimed to familiarise the Army with the terrain and the peculiar security challenges of the area.
Sequel to the initial flag off of the exercise, the army had earlier announced that the operation would run from February 15 to March 31 in Benue, Taraba, Kogi, Nasarawa, Kaduna and Niger states.
It is expected that this would bring under control, to a large extent, the issues of farmers and herdsmen crisis and other ancillary security challenges in that zone.