By Peter Duru

MAKURDI—LESS than 72 hours to the end of Exercise Ayem A’ Kpatuma, or Cat Race, in Benue State, the tribal leaders of the state have described the exercise as a monumental failure.

Barring any changes, the 45-day military exercise, which took off on February 15, will end tomorrow.

Appraising the exercise in the state, the tribal leaders through the President General Mdzough U Tiv, Chief Edward Ujege, insisted that the state had been worse off since the launch of the exercise.

His words: “The exercise as far as we are concerned has achieved next to nothing. We have not felt their impact in the state and that is the truth of the matter.

“Perhaps we will give it to them for aiding herdsmen and their cows to mindlessly take over our communities and destroy the food crops and barns of our helpless people.”