The Nigeria Army has extended Operation Sahel Sanity, which has been fighting banditry, kidnapping and cattle rustling in the North West, by three months.
The operation, which began in July, will now end in December.
Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, who disclosed this at a press conference at the Army Supper Camp 4, Faskari, Katsina, on Saturday, said after careful review of the exercise, it was considered necessary to extend the operation to sustain successes achieved within the period and enable troops root out all forms of criminality from the zone.
According to him, the operation was also extended to the North Central to ensure peace in all parts of the country.
The Chief of Army Staff also commended the troops for their dedication even as he ordered them to deal ruthlessly with bandits and criminal elements in their areas of operation.
He said: “We will continue to improve on information gathering.
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“Although the gallant troops suffered from the terrain which gave them poor access to some areas during encounter, Nigerian Army was on top of situation.”
Buratai commended the host states – Zamfara and Katsina – for their continued support and cooperation especially in the area of information sharing.
He stressed that communities must be ready to expose criminals among their friends and relatives otherwise, the consequences would return back to them.
