The news: On Saturday, Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, the newly appointed Chief of Army Staff (COAS) paid the operational visit to the Operation Safe Haven Setup in Mangu, Plateau state to flag off of “Operation Hakorin Damisa IV” to tackle the security challenges in the local government. Hakorin Damisa means “Tiger’s teeth”.
During the visit, he also inspected the newly acquired armoury which includes: 7 Carmel Mraps with QJC 88 guns, 10 Armoured cars, with 20 operational bikes. Gen. Lagbaja also met with critical stakeholders including the Mishkaham Mwaghavul, Da John Hirse, the National President Mwaghavul Development Association, MDA, Sir Joseph Gwankat, the MACBAN Chairman of Mangu, Bello Shanono, the CAN Chairman of Mangu, Rev. Timothy Daluk, as well as the representative of the JNI in Mangu, Alh. Judy Ibrahim.
Prior to the meeting, the COAS was briefed on the security situation in the area by Maj.-Gen. Abdusalam Abubakar, the Commander of Operation Safe Haven and General Officer Commanding 3 Division, Nigeria Army.
Why it matters
In the last two months, more than 300 persons had been killed in Mangu and the neighbouring communities following a series of attacks by gunmen. Last week, the Nigerian army said it has neutralised three suspects related to the ongoing killings in the region.
General Lagbaja’s visit comes a few days after he met with Plateau governor, Caleb Mutfwang in Abuja.
What more?
The COAS has charged the troops to collaborate with other security agencies to end the mayhem. “Gentlemen, as your 23rd COAS, I address you today and charge all of you deployed for this special operation to end the conflicts in Mangu and its environs,” Lagbaja said. “You must work with other security agencies and because you are a people’s army, you must respond to all distress calls. You must also give feedback to the people at all times to win the confidence of the public.”
He also called on residents of Mangu to cooperate with the military and other security agencies by providing timely information for a prompt response.