The Chief of Army Staff, Taoreed Lagbaja, says the army has made progress in stabilising the nation’s security despite a few obvious challenges.

Mr Lagbaja said this on Tuesday in Abuja at the opening of the First Quarter Chief of Army Staff Conference 2024.

He said the insecurity that would have developed across the country was better imagined than experienced if not for the concerted efforts of the military.

The army chief said the continuous injection of trained troops and specialist equipment into the North-East theatre for specialised operations such as Mountain Sanity II, Lake Sanity II, and Desert Sanity III had continued to complement the theatre command’s efforts to degrade ISWAP/JAS terrorist groups.

Mr Lagbaja said those efforts improved the security situation in the North East and had expectedly enhanced the public’s trust and confidence in the troops.

He added that intensified offensives to eliminate bandits and other criminal elements in the North-West and North-Central regions also yielded positive outcomes.

Mr Lagbaja said, “We have continued to project forces in Operations Hadarin Daji, Forest Sanity, and Whirl Punch while ramping up offensives to eliminate bandit enclaves.

“These operations have destroyed criminal hideouts, neutralised scores of bandits, and subjected the remaining ones to situations where they are mainly on the run.”

He added, “Relatedly, our troops deployed in the South-South and South-East regions on Joint Task Force Operation Delta Safe and Operation UDO KA have continued to perform creditably.

“Both operations have undoubtedly led to the neutralisation of a significant number of IPOB/ESN criminals, the recovery of numerous weapons and ammunition, and the destruction of several illegal oil refineries.

“Additionally, our collective efforts in Operations Delta Safe and Udo Ka have substantially increased daily crude exploration output with a corresponding boost to Nigeria’s foreign reserve and other economic indices.”

Mr Lagbaja also mentioned that the army had remained unrelenting in its efforts to improve its training activities and attune them to the current realities and global best practices.

He said special initiatives were implemented in the first quarter of the year to enhance troop readiness through mission-focused training. The army chief explained that training exercises, like Shining Star V, Fast Bolt II, and Restore Hope VI, were successfully tailored to equip troops with the requisite knowledge and skills to address prevailing security challenges.

(NAN)