The Nigerian Army has reiterated its readiness to provide the necessary security in Borno before, during, and after the presidential and National Assembly elections on February 25.
Brig.-Gen. Jafar Ibrahim, Commander, 7 Division Garrison, Operation Hadin Kai, stated this while flagging off “Operation Show of Force” on Monday in Maiduguri.
Ibrahim stated that the five-day exercise, which would be conducted in collaboration with other sister security agencies in the state, would help reassure residents that the polls would be free, fair, and credible.
He stated that the exercise was intended to instill confidence in the electorate and to make them understand the importance of voting for candidates of their choice during the elections.
“This exercise is not something new. It is a tradition that usually happens every four years and the aim is to reassure the people that the elections will hold and that it will be peaceful in the state.
“It is against this background that the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 7 Division, has mandated us to synergise with other security agencies to conduct this show of force from Feb. 20 to Feb. 24.
According to him, the troops will be domesticated to their various units after the exercise.
“The preparation is not only from the inside; it started long ago from the deep penetration of the terrorists’ enclaves, which resulted in the successes that were recorded,” he said.
Ibrahim assured that the election would hold in every part of the 27 local government areas of the state.
“However, we have two local governments, Marte and Guzamala, where arrangements are being made for them to cast their votes in the local government headquarters and IDP camps due to security challenges,” he said. (NAN)
