By Evelyn Usman

The 81 Division of the Nigerian Army has flagged off Exercise Still Water in Lagos, designed to curtail  activities of militants, armed robbers, cultists and other forms of criminality in the state and its environs.

To this effect, a 24-hour joint Military patrol will be witnessed in Lagos, between yesterday, Monday, September 4, 2021, to December 23, 2021.

Flagging off the exercise at the Digital Bridge Institute, Oshodi, the General Officer Commanding, GOC 81 Division, Major General Lawrence Fejokwu,  explained that  the reason for the clamp down on security situations was to ensure a safe environment where Lagosians  would  go about their legal businesses  without  fear of  activities of kidnappers, armed robbers  and all other elements that tend to truncate their endeavors.

He explained further  that the essence of Exercise Still Water  formerly known as Exercise Crocodile Smile , “ is basically to practice what we have been learning in our classrooms. That  is why it is an outdoor exercise.

It is also a continuation of the joint training with other sister’s services and other security agencies in line with the Chief of Army Staff’s  vision. It will also  serve as a rehearsal on how to tackle criminal elements .

“I want to seize this opportunity to tell members of the public that there will be increased Military movements by day and night and I urge law-abiding citizens to go about their businesses without any fear.

All we are trying to do is to work in synergy , carry out rehearsals to be sure  of what we want to do, so that when we have  to conduct raids in the future, condone and search  operations , stop and search, all services will be on the same page and  we will do it together, the way it should be done because we have rehearsed it  and have known  what each service ought to do in any given  situation.

“But let us also know that if you have  security agencies on the street, we cannot see things going wrong and  say because we are conducting an exercise we close our eyes to it. It is the reason why we clamp down on security situations, all to ensure that we have a safe environment where we can go about our businesses without  fear of the activities of criminals, bandits, kidnappers and all other elements that tend to truncate our daily lives.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Commander, 9 Brigade, Brig. General Lander Saraso, hinted that the exercise was designed to practice the command’s elements of the  Brigade and troops under the Command in the planning, preparation, conduct of Military operations other than war, in a multi agency setting, as well as  practice the troops in certain aspects of counter terrorism and counter insurgency operations in Lagos state.

He said, “As we are all aware , recent intelligence reports revealed an  unprecedented wave of criminality that is going on within our environs, with groups such as cult groups who have taken over some communities within the environs, to perpetrate their criminal acts.

Despite the efforts of security agencies, these criminal elements have continued to engage in criminal activities such as kidnapping, armed banditry, militancy, armed robbery , cultism and other violent criminalities within the city of Lagos.

 “Recently , a senior police officer was killed in the line of duty and another retired Military officer was also kidnapped within Lagos. Thank God he has been rescued.

“ In view of these criminal activities and as it is customary in the Nigerian Army, the Brigade was tasked to conduct this exercise to curtail these criminal activities in conjunction with other sister services and security agencies as we approach the yuletide season”.

While  emphasizing  that the  setting of Exercise Still water which was  premise largely on the conduct of Military operations other than war, was  to provide military aid to civil authority , he said the participating troops had been briefed, rehearsed and directed to be friendly with law abiding citizens but to deal ruthlessly with criminal elements terrorizing the society within the ambits of the law.

The concept  of the exercise, according to Brig.Gen. Saraso, “ involves physical deployment of the troops in the field from where these troops are going to be dispatched from time to time  to conduct real time patrols against criminal elements within the environment.

 “The exercise is intended to achieve the following objective: To practice units and sub units under command on the concept of forward operation basis and brigade headquarters in the field; to test  the unit and sub unit commanders in battle procedure and decision making processes regarding employing of weapons and assets in internal security operation; to test commanders and staff at the Brigade level including combat support and combat service support elements in the art  and conduct of logistics operations and combat support service procedures’ in internal security operation among others; to test the ability of troops on communication skills and communication security in an  operational environment; To test units and sub units’ commanders on some aspect of counter- terrorism and counter insurgency operation; to test units and sub units commanders on inter-service cooperation and cooperation with other sister agencies in military operations other than war…”