Herdsmen: We are not overstretched ― General Yekini

The force commander of Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), Maj. Gen. Adeyemi Yekini has said that his troops are neither overwhelmed nor overstretched by the security challenges in the three states of its operation.

General Yekini stated this in a statement issued yesterday to react to Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom’s statement that the OPWS were overstretched and demanded to strengthen the troops.

Governor Ortom while speaking with newsmen commended OPWS for curtailing the activities of herdsmen and militants in the state but stated that the military was overstretched.

According to Ortom, “Though, the OPWS are still in town and they have been doing their best but they are overstretched. They have been overwhelmed.

” They need more personnel and equipment because of the superior power force of the herdsmen. The advantage OPWS have is that they have capacity on land, air and sea.

While reacting, General Yekini said that the operation in Benue, Taraba and Nasarawa states commence in July 2018 following daunting security challenges occasioned by the activities of armed herdsmen and armed militias in these states, adding that they had been working round the clock to keep all armed elements away from the three states.

He explained that the troops had within a short period of operation succeeded in flushing out all the criminals and also curtailed the activities of armed herdsmen which has now been reduced to occasional skirmishes with troops.

According to him, the troops have so far recovered close to 300 assorted weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition in the three states as well as destroyed all identified militia camps, especially in Benue.

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Yekini further said that his troops eliminated hundreds of armed militiamen and apprehended hundreds of others as well as facilitated the voluntary return of close to 300,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) mostly in Benue.

Parts of the statement read, “We are not overstretched or overwhelmed. No, we are not. Every military operation has a mandate and we believe we have substantially fulfilled our mandate not just in Benue but also in Nasarawa and Taraba States.

“We know how we met Benue State in particular when we got here. The security situation then was characterised by mass killings by armed herdsmen and other acts brigandage by warlords such as Gana and Ojoundu who carved out parts of the state for themselves.

“We made it possible for the Benue State Government to reassert political authority over places like Katsina Ala, Gbise, Gawa and so many other rural communities in Logo, Ukum and Kwande Local Governments which were hitherto being controlled by some of these warlords.

“We assisted greatly in preserving Benue as the food basket of the nation in spite of all odds. Thanks to OPWS, Benue today is exporting trailer loads of foodstuff to other parts of the country almost on a daily basis thereby boosting the state’s IGR.

“We acknowledge that some are still in camps and we will continue to work hard to get them back home. We brought back social life to Makurdi and other key towns in Benue State which were badly affected by the crisis at the time.

“We kept the Makurdi – Lafia – Abuja Highway open on 24hrs basis for use of commuters including high government officials in Benue State who ply the road to Abuja. We kept open other key highways including the reopening of the Takum – Katsina Ala road linking Taraba with Benue, which Gana closed for several years unchallenged. We also ensured the reopening of the Makurdi-Naka-Ankpa road which was deserted by motorists for months and taken over by armed herdsmen.

“We substantially brought the lingering Tiv/Jukun crisis under control. We can go on and on if need be. We are professional soldiers. We are not saying that there are no lingering security challenges on ground. No, but we will continue to tackle them headlong in conjunction with other security agencies in the state.

“What I said above does not portray us as overstretched and overwhelmed. No. We remain resolute in pursuing our mandate to its logical conclusion. OPWS’ mandate does not include catching cattle on the streets.