Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, on Wednesday, praised President Muhammadu Buhari for his commitment to the security of the lives and property of Nigerians despite worsening insecurity.

Mr Ugwuanyi gave the commendation in Enugu while flagging off ‘Exercise Golden Dawn 2’, a training exercise hosted by the Nigerian Army under the Area of Responsibility (AOR) of its 82 Division.

“In spite of the numerous challenges, President Buhari has been relentless in tackling security challenges in the country and ensuring the safety of lives and property,” stated the Enugu governor. “I must also commend him as the commander-in-chief for approving this training exercise meant to checkmate crime and criminality in its entirety.” 

He explained that the training exercise was coming at an appropriate period as the crime rate usually spiked during the yuletide season.

Mr Ugwuanyi also thanked the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Faruk Yahaya for approving the hosting of the exercise.

The governor assured the army of his administration’s commitment to internal security operations to stem crimes.

“We want to assure you of our commitment to partner with the Nigerian Army in this regard,” he said.

General Officer Commanding (GOC) the 82 Division, Maj.-Gen. Umar Musa, said the military exercise was in line with the army’s training directive for the year and would involve troops, units and formations of the division.

Mr Musa said the exercise would run from October 14 to January 3, 2023. He noted that it would be conducted alongside other security agencies within South-East and other areas of the division’s AOR.

“The exercise, aimed at checkmating crime such as cultism, kidnapping, armed robbery and other sundry criminality within the South-East, is geared at protecting lives and property during and after the yuletide season,” he further explained. “It is also meant to enhance troops’ level of professionalism and preparedness in curbing security challenges within the Division’s AOR.”

(NAN)