The Middle Belt Conscience Guard (MBCG) said that the ‘Operation Positive Identification’ exercise which was flagged off nationwide by the Nigerian Army on Friday was “a timely intervention.”
It lauded President Muhammadu Buhari and the Chief of Army Staff for the exercise which it noted was crucial to restore sanity in the region, especially at a time foreign criminal elements have infiltrated the country.
In a statement signed by its President, Prince Raymond Nero, the group insisted that the operation is a thoughtful security sanity and the final push to flush out remnants of terrorists.
The Middle-Belt group expressed confidence that OPI would be a massive success, and will go a long way in “filtering, identifying and apprehending hired foreign criminals.”
The group, therefore, commended President Buhari and the Army leadership for coming up “with such thoughtful and proactive measure.”
He said, “It is an exercise that will cause an increased presence of soldiers on major highways and locations nationwide. And soldiers are expected to politely and courteously request travelers to identify themselves before proceeding on their journeys.
“Secondly, MBCG is constrained to interact with Nigerians on OPI exercise to explain reasons the military civil operations have become expedient. And also, to canvass support from the civil populace for the Army throughout the three-week duration of the exercise.
“To this end, we advise that during the Army’s outing on OPI, Nigerians in transit are expected to carry in their possession a valid and authentic means of identification such as national identity card, voter’s registration card, (PVC), driver’s license, international passport and or, other valid official identification document.
“All civilians are expected to be cautious, conduct themselves responsibly and comply with official directives by security agents during this interface. The Army will not violate the human rights of any Nigerian in the course of this exercise.
“The MBCG is excited with OPI because everyone will concede to us that most parts of Nigeria, especially the Middle Belt region have been plunged into meaningless and rampant crisis. It ranges from bloodletting and destruction, armed banditry and cattle rustling, terrorism, kidnappings and so forth, fueled by suspected foreign criminal gangs who have illegally migrated into the country.”
