Lt.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), has commended the troops of Operation Safe Haven (OPSH) for their efforts toward tackling the spate of insecurity in Plateau.

Mr Lagbaja, represented by the Commander, Corps of Artillery, Maj.-Gen. Markus Kangye, made the commendation at a luncheon organised for the troops on Monday in Mangu.

This is coming as suspected herdsmen attacked two local government areas in Plateau, killing no fewer than 112 residents and injuring 47 others.

The marauding herdsmen attacked at least 12 communities spanning Barkin Ladi and Bokkos council areas on Christmas Eve.

OPSH is a special military task force maintaining peace in Plateau and parts of Bauchi and Kaduna States.

According to Mr Lagbaja, the luncheon was designed to celebrate the troops for weathering all challenges and ensuring Plateau and Nigeria remain peaceful.

“At the moment, over 50,000 officers and men are on duty in various communities across the nation.

“So, we have put this luncheon to boost the morale of our troops in tackling the insecurity currently confronting us in Nigeria.

“I desire to return our troops home to their families in safety.

“So, we are going to drop the number of troops on internal security and build the capacity of other security agencies in addressing all internal security challenges,” he said

The COAS assured the troops of his plans to improve their welfare, adding that the year ahead looked promising for the Nigerian Army.

He commended Gov. Caleb Mutfwang for supporting the troops in achieving positive results so far in their bid to secure lives and property in the state.

Earlier, Maj.-Gen. Abdusalam Abubakar, the commander of OPSH, thanked the COAS for organising the luncheon, adding that it would stimulate troops to do better.

He said that troops of the operation had achieved a lot in the last few months, particularly with the inauguration of a special operation codenamed “Operation Hakorin Damisa IV”.

“We have recovered over 200 illegal arms, large cache of ammunition, neutralised bandits and busted weapon manufacturing factories in the state.

The event had top government functionaries, traditional and religious leaders, women and youth groups in attendance.

(NAN)