Army to launch special operation to end southern Kaduna killings

Tukur Buratai, chief of army staff, says the military will commence a special operation in the southern part of Kaduna to end the persistent killings.

Fulani herdsmen have been accused of carrying out killings in southern Kaduna, which led to the declaring of a 24-hour curfew in three local governments areas of the state.

The curfew has since been relaxed by 12 hours in Zangon-Kataf and Kaura, but Jema’a’s is still in full force.

Speaking with journalists on Thursday at the state house after a five-hour meeting with security chiefs and President Muhammadu Buhari, Buratai said the operation would cover parts of Plateau and Kano states.

He said that the military operation — operation Lafiya Dole — would continue in the Sambisa Forest where troops ‎recently flushed out remnants of Boko Haram insurgents.

“Our troops are already in southern Kaduna. We have our special forces operating there along with all other security agencies and we intend also to have an exercise very soon in Southern Kaduna to cover some parts of Plateau and parts of Kano states.,” he said.

‎”So, it is part of our strategy for this year to continue all the exercises we have had before. We will be having ‘Exercise Kunama 2’, which will come to Southern Kaduna state and parts of Plateau and Kano states.

“Crocodile smile in the Niger Delta and indeed the ‘Python Dance’ [will continue], but we are going to rename the ‘Python Dance’ for the South East‎ this year also.”‎
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Also speaking with journalists, Mansur Dan Ali, minister of defence, said they were “able to come to conclusion on almost all the crises that are going on across the country.”

“The southern Kaduna, the Niger Delta issues and other major crisis areas were discussed and resolutions were passed,” Ali said.

“In southern Kaduna, we have our troops being moved and ‎they have already taken places, operations are going on and I believe that very soon it will come to an end.”

The meeting was also attended by Ibrahim Idris, inspector-general of police (IGP), Lawan Daura; director-general of the department of state service (DSS) amongst others.