The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, has simultaneously flagged off three training exercises in Lagos.
This is as the Army said it would clear unexploded Explosive Ordnances at the site of the unfortunate 2002 bomb blast.
A statement on Tuesday night by the Director, Army Public Relations, Brig. Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu said the exercises are Exercise Still Waters III, Golden Dawn III, and Enduring Peace III.
He said the exercises were part of efforts to ensure the protection of lives and property across the federation, as the year draws to an end.
Onyema also said the exercises were meant to curb the security challenges in the South-South, South East, South West, and North Central Nigeria, adding that the exercises are to run concurrently in the respective geopolitical zones till the year runs out.
It partly read, “Flagging off the Exercise, Lagbaja maintained that the exercises are to combat diverse emerging security challenges peculiar to the affected geopolitical zones, to mitigate the spiking of such challenges associated with the last quarter of the year.
” He added that this is when many Nigerians travel around the country in the spirit of the yuletide thereby necessitating the need for a safe and enabling environment for citizens to go about their lawful businesses without fear or apprehension.
“Lagbaja, however, charged the troops to carry out their duties diligently within the confines of the law and stipulated codes of conduct. According to the Army Chief, “We should not be a problem to the citizens we are trying to protect”.
The COAS also inaugurated Exercise Clean Sweep at the Ikeja Cantonment Lagos to clear unexploded Explosive Ordnances at the site of the unfortunate 2002 bomb blast, which occurred then at the Nigerian Army Cantonment located at Maryland, Ikeja, Lagos.
“The Army Chief revealed that the objective of the exercise is to completely disinfect the epicenter of the Ikeja bomb blast and clear it of all verified and suspected remaining Unexploded Explosive Ordnances lying around the cantonment.
“He pointed out that initial clearance operations ensured some degree of safety in the Cantonment and its environment, adding that the recent discovery of some Unexploded Explosive Ordnances at the site of the blast raised the need for the Nigerian Army to carry out a follow-up clearance exercise in the Cantonment and its environ, ” the statement added.
He notes that the exercise will be conducted for 61 days, urging members of the public, particularly those in Lagos and Ogun states not to panic on sighting the movement of special military vehicles and hearing the sound of explosion during the conduct of the exercise.
He assured that appropriate safety and security measures have been put in place to guarantee an accident-free exercise. He disclosed further that in compliance with global best practice, all relevant emergency and response agencies, including the Nigeria Police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Federal Road Safety Corps, State Emergency Management Agency, and the Medics will work in synergy to ensure successful completion of the exercise.
https://punchng.com/coas-kicks-off-exercises-to-clear-unexploded-explosives-in-lagos/
