Television Nigerian

The Middle-Belt Conscience Guard has reacted to the proposed nationwide exercise tagged Operation Python Dance III by the Nigerian Army.

Recall that Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Tukur Buratai, had announced that the military exercise would commence from January 1, 2019 and last till February 28.

He said the exercise was in preparation against security challenges anticipated before, during and after the 2019 general election.

However, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, kicked against planned nationwide military exercise, claiming that it was another plot to rig the 2019 general elections.

Speaking on the development, the middle belt group said the exercise would rather boost voters’ confidence rather before, during and after the election.

Sunday Onoja, the BoT chairman of the group, while addressing a press conference in Abuja, expressed optimism that the exercise would address areas in the Middle-Belt where the terrorists were once known to have sleeper cells.

His words, “Our geo-political zone, the North-Central sits between the north (North East and North West geo-political zones) and the South (South-West, South-South and South-East geo-political zones). Whatever happens in any of these other geo-political zones therefore automatically affects the Middle-Belt. This makes us default stakeholders in whatever happens in these sister geo-political zones.

“We can validly assert that a resurgence of Boko Haram will affect us because under the previous administration, Niger, Kogi, Plateau and Nasarawa states with the FCT were hotbeds of terrorists’ activities until the present administration came into office and appointed military service chiefs that secured the geo-political zone from terrorists. With the desperate push that Boko Haram is making to prove that it remains relevant, the Middle-Belt has no interest in seeing the group move southwards again as this will place them in our geo-political zone to the detriment of our people.

“Our geo-political zone has had its share of ethno-religious crises. Plateau is a case we can refer to at any time, while Benue state has also had more than its fair share of ethnic strife that have been given different colouration that made tracking such conflicts difficult. Kogi state is not spared as well. Experience have shown that such crises have the tendency to flare up whenever there are elections or in their immediate aftermath. This credible threat must be taken in consonance with the threats from some politicians to make the polls do or die affairs.
“We further take cognizance of cases on kidnap for ransom in neighbouring geo-political zones coupled with crimes like banditry in the northwest. Efforts are being made to rid that region of the bandit, which makes it likely that the criminals being displaced could relocate to the north-central through Niger state. This makes it imperative that they are stopped from migrating into our land.

“Still on migration, the farmers/herders’ clashes is of concern to us given the number of gory deaths that have been attributed to this situation. While incidences of killings, especially in Benue state, have declined, concerns remain that nefarious elements may again use the election as a trigger for the killings to resume or use the farmers/herders’ clashes as a cover to exact vengeance on political enemies.

“Our concerns extend to extremist and separatist groups to the north and south of our geo-political zone. A separatist group had in the past earmarked part of the Middle Belt as territory to be excised to form part of the illegal country they are dreaming up. On their part, extremists in the last quarter of last year invaded the FCT with a view to cause mayhem. The North-Central is in need of protection from these elements.

“It is in view of these peculiar challenges that the Middle-Belt Conscience Guard welcomes the Operation Python Dance that the Nigerian Army has launched across the country and meant to last until the end of February. We see the operation as being able to address the security concerns and challenges that we have identified. For us, it is a confirmation that the Federal Government is committed to tackling violence and criminal activities such as banditry, politically aided killers and other criminalities that worsen during general elections.

“We are hopeful that the Operation would be able to identify and apprehend any Boko Haram suspect that escaped southwards. The exercise should equally address areas in the Middle-Belt where the terrorists were once known to have sleeper cells. We would like the last vestige of Boko Haram to be removed from our geo-political zone.

“We equally desire for the banditry in the north-west to be contained by Operation Python Dance within that geo-political zone so that they do not ever have the chance to trouble the people of the Middle Belt. We believe this is a unique chance to decimate the criminals that have kept people across Nigeria agitated over the wanton killings that trail them everywhere.”

A faith based group in the Niger-Delta, the Niger Delta Young Christian Forum (NDYCF), has warned that failure to conduct the Operation Python Dance in the area would imply that elections will not hold there.

Spokesperson of NDYCF, Evangelist Celestine Paul Akokari, gave the warning in Warri on Wednesday and further explained that the operation will also address the issue of voter apathy since the electorate will feel safer to come out and vote.

Akokari said the Niger-Delta region has been tensed on account of those that have been threatening voters with violence if they failed to support certain candidates. The group expressed the opinion that the military exercise will go a long way to build voters’ confidence to take part in the election without fear of intimidation from miscreant hired by politicians.

According to him, “Parts of the Niger-Delta are included in the jurisdiction where the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPoB) is threatening there would be no elections if there is no referendum for self-determination. IPoB has threatened violence against prospective voters so it is important that there is military presence to reassure the people that they will not be attacked when they exercise their civic rights.

“Militant groups in our region that had earlier observed a ceasefire have suddenly called off the same, which is a credible threat to the conduct of the elections in the event that they resume hostilities. We recognize the need to address the needs of our region but it is also glaring that some of the demands tabled by the militants cannot be met in the weeks before the elections.

“The presence of troops on a military exercise would be greatly welcome by the larger population that does not support violence as a means of extracting the needed government actions to meet the demands of the region.

“Many of our people have equally received all manners of text messages that threatened them. Groups have threatened each other that they cannot vote candidate of their choices without harm coming their way. An operation that will put all trouble makers on notice in this regard will do much or peace in our land,” the statement explained.

The group urged the Nigerian Army not to be deterred by the seeming opposition to the exercise noting that previous military operations in the region were similarly demonized until it became evident that the exercises were conducted with the least infractions on the rights of civilians.

It said these series of operations, even though limited to the riverine areas in most cases, were able to yield results like drastically reducing attacks on oil installations in the area while incidents of kidnapping were also reduced.

Akokari pointed out that “When military operations were announced for the Niger-Delta in the past the natural reaction was for leaders in the region to be apprehensive about the likelihood of clashes between soldiers and troops. But the way the Nigerian Army has conducted these exercises in recent times has built a level of trust.

“Our people even benefited from the free healthcare that is usually bundled with the operation. That of course was in spite of the disinformation campaign that lied about people being injected with infections. Traditional leaders in the region have hailed the conduct of the exercises.

“Unlike when the previous military operations were restricted to the Niger-Delta, this Operation Python Dance is all over the country, which means we shall consider it a form of marginalization should the Federal Government side with those opposing it and refuse to allow it hold in the Niger-Delta. Not only shall it be considered marginalization if shall be further considered as a ploy to disenfranchise our people who might be too scared to come out to vote if they do not feel secured.

“This is going to make us resort to No Operation Python Dance, No Election in Niger-Delta since we cannot allow the elections to hold under conditions in which we cannot fully and freely participate. If the Niger-Delta does not get its share of Python Dance by the Nigerian Army and other security agencies there will be voter apathy in the region so it will not be acceptable,” Akokari declared.