A group, the Middle Belt Conscience Guard (MBCG) has lauded President Muhammadu Buhari and Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, over introduction of Operation Positive Identification (OPI) describing the exercise as “timely” and crucial to restoring sanity in the region, especially at a time foreign criminal elements had infiltrated the country.
MBCG gave the commendation in a statement signed by its president, Prince Raymond Nero, copy of which was made available to newsmen in Lagos.
The group described the operation as thoughtful security sanity, saying it was the final push to flush out remnants of terrorists, even as it expressed confidence that OPI would be a massive success, like previous operations, in filtering, identifying and apprehending hired foreign criminals.
The group, while commending President Buhari and the Army leadership for coming up with such thoughtful and proactive measure, expressed its joy over the introduction of OPI, saying that common agreement amongst Nigerians was that most parts of Nigeria, especially the Middle Belt region had been plunged into meaningless and rampant crisis.
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According to MBCG, “It ranges from bloodletting and destructions, armed banditry and cattle rustling, terrorism, kidnappings and so forth, fueled by suspected foreign criminal gangs who have illegally migrated into the country.
“Regrettably, it is the Middle Belt region that is very susceptible and the worst hit by the atrocities and criminal activities of these foreign criminal agents, killer mercenaries, terrorists, armed bandits, cattle rustlers and their ilk, who invade us from outside Nigeria.
“They are contracted, sponsored and imported into the country by satanically possessed political actors to destabilize our peace as a region and the nation.
“It is only the vigilance and alertness of the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari and the Nigerian Army that have saved us from total doom and destruction by the invasion and toxic insecurity orchestrated by these suspected foreign criminals.
“The MBCG profoundly salutes Mr President and the leadership of the Nigerian Army for continually rising to the defence of Nigerians from the invasion by foreign criminal elements and their internal collaborators.”
“The MBCG consequently fully identifies with the FGN and the leadership of the Nigerian Army on OPI. We appreciate this laudable and proactive initiative on taming insecurity in the country in our region and the country,” the group added.