Military denies attack on personnel in Benue, Taraba, Nasarawa

Maj.-Gen Adeyemi Yekini, the Force Commander, Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) has denied that no soldier attached to the military operation covering Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba states had been ambushed by any militia group in the states.

Yekini, who stated this in a statement on Wednesday in Makurdi, said the report was not only mischievous but also intended to undermine the successes of the military operation in the three states under its coverage.

He said the military operation had achieved its mandate of flushing out armed militia groups in the states and was facilitating the resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) in their homes.

“OPWS had substantially achieved its mandate of putting to end incessant killings by armed groups in the three states which constitutes its Joint Operation Area (JOAN).

“The Force is now focused on destroying remnants of armed militia camps that might still be in any part of Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba states in addition to working for the return of more IDPs.”

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the special military forces, comprising Air force, Army, Navy, DSS, NIA, was constituted by President Muhammadu Buhari, to tackle incessant militia attacks on unarmed civilians in the three states.