By Fred Doc Nwaozor
The last
time I checked, Imo and South-East at large was dominated by operation this and
that. Initially, it was only ‘Operation Python Dance’ until ‘Operation
David Dance’ followed suit. The former – a military exercise – which is
targeted at wiping out all forms of social ills lingering in the region including
armed robbery, kidnapping, abduction, herdsmen/farmers clashes, and violent
secessionist movements, was recently launched by the Nigerian Army (NA).
In various
quarters, the residents of the affected area – particularly members of the
Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) – have strongly kicked against the military
exercise, saying that it was not for the good interest of the entire people of
the Igbo nation. To this end, the IPOB equally launched a parallel exercise
code-named Operation David Dance. According to them, the ‘David’ signifies
the one in the Holy Bible who defeated Goliath in a battlefield with a mere
stone. It suffices to say: they were trying to insinuate that the military
exercise represents ‘Goliath.’
As some
groups within the South-East zone have continued to condemn the new military
operation, which is meant to last between November 27 and December 27, 2016,
the Army has explained extensively that the exercise did not mean any harm
except to criminals, hence, would be in the overall interest of the good people
of the area contrary to the views making the rounds. In a press statement
released by the Deputy Director of the Army Public Relations – 82 Division
Enugu – Colonel Sagir Musa, the initiative reportedly aimed towards achieving a
hitch-free yuletide in the entire South-East would help the people of the
region in the areas of healthcare and security, among others.
Col. Musa,
however, categorically stated that the exercise wasn’t peculiar to the
South-East. According to him, having painstakingly examined the myriad of
security challenges across the country, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS)
Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai directed the setting up of the conduct of both
Command Post and Field Training exercises, as a way of enhancing troops
preparedness toward combating the spectrum of the contemporary challenges. In
view of this directive, the Army Headquarters instructed the immediate
commencement of the request in different regions across the federation.
He further highlighted those operations Ex Shirin Harbi, Ex Harbin Kunama, Ex
Crocodile Smile, and Ex Python Dance were instituted for the North-East, North-West , Niger
